The Two Greatest Commandments and Love

I don't know about you, but of some of the best teachers that I've had over the years, they encouraged their students to ask questions. They encouraged their students to ask questions. They wanted their students to understand.

And maybe you may remember a teacher that was like that. And often the way that they would try to encourage you to ask questions is they would say, there is no foolish question. Remember, instructor, maybe you had like that over the years? There is no foolish question. If you don't know the answer, just simply raise your hand. And then we'll go ahead and explain and we'll try to answer the question that you may have. It's a way to learn. And so maybe you had an instructor like that over the years.

And sometimes when I would be stalling, thinking, I really don't understand, but I'm not just quite courageous enough to put my hand up, somebody else would raise their hand and they would ask the same question that was rolling around in my head. And I was so glad they asked because then the teacher went on to explain, made it clear, made it understandable. I thought, okay, I'm sure glad that they asked. Maybe you're like me too. And sometimes you wish that you could ask God a question. That you could, you've got something on your mind, you're reading through the scriptures.

It doesn't entirely make sense. And you just wish you could go to the direct source, the creator of the universe that made everything, that inspired this word and wrote everything down or had it breathed and inspired and written down through the Spirit, that you could ask him a question directly. Something that's really on your mind, a burning question. You just think, if we could just sit down at the table together and I could ask God directly and get the straight answer on it.

We could know the truth from God himself of the matter. Well, someday we'll have that opportunity. We don't have that opportunity just yet. But you know, there were some people a few years ago that had that opportunity. Let's turn over to Matthew chapter 22 and verse 35. Matthew chapter 22 and verse number 35. There's a question here in this context that's asked of a teacher. In fact, it's asked of the greatest teacher of all time. And it's a good question. And I'm glad it was asked.

And it's here over here in Matthew chapter 22 and verse 35. So let's go ahead and read that together. Matthew chapter 22 and verse number 35. It says, then one of them, a lawyer asked him a question testing him and saying, teacher, which is the great commandment in the law? Now, when you think about that, that's a pretty good question. You know, even though his motive was to test Christ, that's still a great question.

What is the great commandment of the law? And before this question was asked and subsequently later on answered by Jesus Christ, if we wouldn't have had this here, we might wonder what is the great commandment in the law. You know, we have the answer here, but if it wouldn't have been asked and we had a chance to discuss and theorize with each other and go over it a little bit, what would you have thought that it was?

What would I have thought that it was? One of the Ten Commandments? One of the other commandments outside the Ten? Because there's over 600 commandments and laws that are found in Scripture. If this lawyer had not asked this question, we might still be wondering. We might still be speculating. It's an important question, and I'm glad that he asked it. And this is the teacher's response in verse number 37. Jesus said to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all of your heart and with all of your soul and with all of your mind. This is the first and the great commandment.

That's a whole sermon in itself, isn't it? Now, this teacher, which was, of course, Jesus Christ, he could have stopped right there, but then he goes on to answer a question that was not asked. Now, why did he do that? Because there was an additional point that needed to be made, a very vital point that needed to be made that he wants to make. And he goes on to address now a question that was not asked or an issue that was not asked in verse number 39. And the second is like it. You shall love your neighbor as yourself and on these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

In other words, he says, not on three commandments, not on one commandment, but on these two commandments hang all the rest of the law and the prophets on these two. And they're very much alike. He says the second is like the first. It's different, but it's like the first, in that you shall love your neighbor as yourself and on all these two commandments, on these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

You know, the Albert Barnes commentary says this about this particular scripture. It says, love to God and man comprehends the whole of religion, and to produce this has been the design of God through Moses, through the prophets, through the Savior, and through the apostles. Let's go over to Luke chapter 10 and verse 25. We'll see another question that was asked of the teacher in Luke chapter 10 and verse number 25.

Luke chapter 10 verse number 25. Another good question, I think, that was asked of the master, have asked of the greatest teacher of all. Seems to be a question that lawyers like to ask here because another lawyer is asking the question here in Luke chapter 10 and verse 25. And it says, Behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested him.

So apparently he was on the test, he was on the line again, saying, Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? I think that's another good question, and I'm glad he asked that question. What do you and I need to do to inherit eternal life? Well, Jesus Christ doesn't respond to this particular question directly, but he responds with a question in verse 26. And he said to him, Oh, what's written the law?

What is your reading of it? And so the lawyer responds and he said, So we answered and he said, Well, you shall love the Lord your God with all of your heart, with all of your soul and with all of your strength and with all of your mind and your neighbor as yourself.

And Jesus said to him, you've answered correctly. You've answered rightly. Do this and you will live. Well, he goes on to try to justify himself. We won't go through that part of the scripture, but he asks who his neighbor is. And of course, Christ responds through this example of the story of the Good Samaritan, that everyone is our neighbor. And that's another question we need to ask is, are we being a neighbor? And so those are the things that our teacher has taught us. You know, these two commandments, loving God and loving neighbor, are the two great commandments.

They're not the only commandments of God, but everything else hangs on them. They're both found in not only the New Testament, but they're found in the Old Testament. Let's go back to Deuteronomy 6 and verse 5.

Right in the foundation, we'll hear books of the scriptures. Deuteronomy 6 and verse number 5, we'll find here a reference to the first great commandment, a great commandment. Deuteronomy 6 and verse 5, You shall love the Lord your God with all of your heart, with all of your soul, and with all of your strength.

And so you may not think of it, but if we wouldn't have had that example of Jesus Christ as the teacher, as somebody asking him that question, here we find buried in the book of Deuteronomy, chapter 6 and verse 5, this is the great commandment. We may not have thought of it. There's a lot to pour over here in the Old Testament or throughout the entire scriptures, but if that question would have been asked, would we have necessarily known that buried here in this book is the first and great commandment?

But the second which is like it is also here in the Old Testament, Leviticus chapter 19 and verse number 18. Let's go ahead and take a look at that. Leviticus chapter 19 and verse number 18.

We'll pick it up in verse 17 to pick up some of the context. You shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall surely rebuke your neighbor and not bear sin because of him. You shall not take vengeance nor bear any grudge against the children of your people.

But you shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord. So right here in Leviticus chapter 19 and verse 18 is the second great commandment, which is like the first, that we shouldn't bear a grudge against the children of God's people, but we shall love our neighbor as ourselves. So right there, these two great commandments.

You know, they really reveal a lot about God, these two commandments. About his nature and about the things that are important to him. They reveal what's important to God, they reveal his character, and they reveal the character that he's trying to develop in his sons. In you and in me.

You know, I told my wife the other day I was going to run some errands. I needed to go to the dry cleaners, I needed to go by to the post office and mail a package, and then I needed to also go by the grocery store and pick up a few items.

And she said, well, Dave, can you go by that when you go by the grocery store, can you pick up some band-aids or bandages? I said, yeah, I can do that. So I had my list, but I didn't write this down because I thought, oh, I'll remember that.

You know where I'm going with this, don't you?

So I ran all my errands, everything on my list, and I got back and I started taking things out of the bag. And then Jelinda said, well, where's the bandages?

Oh, I forgot. I forgot. I didn't write it down.

Thought I'd remember it, but I didn't. I neglected to write it down.

Sometimes I forget certain things like that because they're random, that there's really no central underlying theme.

But, brethren, when it comes to the commandments of God, they have a central and underlying theme.

And that central and underlying theme is love. It's love. My list was random, but God's list is not.

All of God's commandments have the underlying theme of love.

Let's turn over to 1 John 2 and verse 3. 1 John 2 and verse 3.

I'm going to focus some time on these two commandments today.

1 John 2 and verse 3.

It's written by John, one of the 12 disciples.

He wrote the Gospel of John. He wrote 1 John 2 and 3 John. God inspired the book of Revelation.

John was the one that wrote things down. So this is the John that we're talking about when we turn to this book. 1 John 2 and verse 3.

There's a lot here as we begin to go through this book.

He writes, By this we know that we know Him if we keep His commandments.

If we look at the word know here, look at the Greek. It's ginosko.

This word know expresses a lot more than a casual acquaintance with God.

It has a lot to do with more than that. This Greek word ginosko means to know absolutely. To know God absolutely.

It includes a lot of things. It includes love, reverence, obedience, honor, gratitude, and supreme affection.

It's to know God as He is.

It's to know and regard Him as a lawgiver, as a sovereign being.

Sovereign means He reigns. He reigns over you and me. It's to yield to Him, to love Him, and to trust Him, and to obey His commands, His laws.

Verse number four, He who says, I know Him and does not keep His commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in Him.

But notice verse number five, But whoever keeps His word, and we're talking about here the spoken or written word or command, but whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in Him.

God says there's a connection here between keeping His word and then having the love, His love, begin to be perfected in you and in me.

For we believe Him, we trust Him, we obey Him, and that begins the process of God's love beginning to be perfected in you and in me. Whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in that person. And by this, we know that we are in Him. You know, there's other parts of Scripture that talk about the oneness with God, where He's in us and we're in Him. And we see, by keeping God's word, that that love process, the love of God, begins to be perfected in us. And by this, we know that we are in Him. Verse 6, He who says He abides in Him, ought Himself also to walk just as He walked. And that's referring to Jesus Christ.

How did Jesus Christ walk? Well, I think He fulfilled these Scriptures here in verses 2, 3, and 4. He knew the Father, absolutely. He kept all of these commands. He kept His Father's word, and the love of the Father was perfected in Him. He loved God, and so He kept those commandments, and God expects us to do the same. We're going to spend a lot of time on the writings of John on this particular topic today. These two commands have a foundation of love. And John is looked on by some theologians as a soft apostle because he speaks so much about this topic of love.

But you know, this is really not the case because John had a lot to learn when it came to the topic of love. This is the same John that Jesus Christ referred to in another place as one of the sons of thunder. You know, this is the type of personality that He had. This is, that's found in, I'll just reference Mark chapter 3 in verse number 17. This is the same John that when Jesus and His disciples were going around proclaiming the gospel message of the coming kingdom, and when they were trying to come up to a village of the Samaritans, they wouldn't receive Jesus and the disciples. This is the same John that said, well, Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down to consume them like Elijah did? This is the same John we're talking about in Jesus Christ. And I'll just reference Luke chapter 9 and verse 54 there.

And Jesus Christ had to rebuke Him and said, you don't know what manner of spirit that you are of right now. He had to rebuke John. But eventually God gave to John an understanding of godly love and inspired him to share it with you and me. And this became an understanding that He acquired on this topic over time. We're in 1 John. Let's go to 1 John chapter 3 verse 22, just a page over or so, maybe, in your Bible and mine. 1 John chapter 3 and verse 22.

It says, whatever we ask, we receive of Him because we keep His commandments and we do those things that are pleasing in His sight. Not necessarily our own sight, but we do those things that are pleasing in God's sight. And this is His command, that we should believe on the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another as He gave us commandment. Now some think of verse 22 and verse 23 that we're talking about Jesus and His commands, but that's not the context. We're talking about the Father and His commands. Let's notice that as we read it again. Verse 22 and verse 23.

It could read like this, whatever we ask, we receive of the Father because we keep the Father's commandments and do those things that are pleasing in the Father's sight. And this is the Father's command, that we should believe on the name of His Son, Jesus Christ. See, the Father is the object here. And notice also, and to love one another, the Father's command, to believe on the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as He has given us a commandment. Let's jump another couple of chapters. Let's go to 1 John chapter 5 and verse number 2. 1 John chapter 5 and verse number 2.

These two commandments, we're going to see that they're very intertwined, that you really can't do one without doing the other. And we can try to fool ourselves, but God's Word's going to make it plain that we can't do that. We can't do one without doing the other. 1 John chapter 5 and verse 2. By this, we know that we love the children of God. How can we know that we love God's children? How can we know that we love the brethren when we love God and keep His commandments? So these two commandments are intertwined. We can't do one without the other.

You cannot love your brother if you don't love God. God makes that just as clear as crystal. We cannot love our brother if we don't love God. Verse number 3. Well, let's read verse 2 and then we'll go on to verse 3. By this, we know that we love the children of God when we love God and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments, and His commandments are not grievous. So we also see in verse 3 that we cannot love God without keeping His commandments. So it's important for us to know that. And there's a lot of Christianity that believes a lot of those commandments have been done away. Let's go over to James chapter 2 in verse 8. James has something to share and then we'll come back to 1 John. James chapter 2 in verse number 8. I'm talking here about the royal law. James chapter 2.

And verse number 8.

He says, if you really fulfill the royal law, according to the Scripture, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. You do well. Now, this is the only reference in Scripture that talks about God's law is the royal law, but it's here. It's in the book of James and it's a royal law. It's a law for kings. It's a law for royalty. It's a law that is able to make men and women royal.

And it's a law that has the underlying theme of love, of loving God and loving neighbor. We're going to come back here in James here in a moment. We'll discuss a little bit more about the royal law, but let's go back to 1 John chapter 1 and verse 5. 1 John chapter 1 and verse number 5.

We've touched already on the fact that these two great commandments are intertwined. We cannot love our brother if we don't love God. There's more here to derive here from 1 John. 1 John chapter 1 and verse number 5. It says, This is the message which we have heard from him, and declare to you that God is light and in him is no darkness at all. And if we say we have fellowship with him, and that word fellowship could also be translated partnership. It's where two are really becoming one. Or there's a group of people that are considered partners that were in this together. We have the same goals. We have the same motives. We have the same desires with God and with one another. If we say we have fellowship with him, but then we walk in darkness, we're not telling the truth. We lie and we're not practicing the truth. So another point we could derive here is we can't say we have fellowship with God, but then walk in darkness.

We can't say we have fellowship with God, but then walk in darkness. We'd be living a lie.

Verse 7, But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, with God and with others that have entered into that fellowship.

And the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.

Now, we don't always walk in the light perfectly, do we? We all fall short, and we don't measure up the way that we should or the way even that we'd like to. But God has made provisions for that.

You know, as we stumble along the way in trying to keep these commandments of his, if we stumble along the way, God's made provision. Verse 8, he says, If we say that we've got no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth isn't in us, so we know that we've all fallen short.

And if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive them and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. So God makes a way where we can enter back into that fellowship with him and to walk in the light. Verse 10, if we say that we haven't sinned, well then we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. So God has made a way for us to be restored.

Let's turn over a page to 1 John chapter 2 and verse 11. 1 John chapter 2 and verse number 11. Coming now into these commandments here, particularly the second one that's like the first. 1 John chapter 2 verse 11. But he who hates his brother is in darkness, and he walks in darkness. And he doesn't know where he's going because the darkness has blinded his eyes. And so we see then that if we get into this situation where we begin to hate our brother, all of a sudden something's changed in us, and our spiritual vision is going to change.

We're not going to be able to see. He talks about the fact that we'll begin to walk in darkness, and we won't know where we're going because the darkness has blinded our eyes. We won't be able to see true reality any longer. We'll be headed down a direction he doesn't want us to go.

1 more page over to 1 John chapter 3 verse 14. 1 John chapter 3 and verse number 14.

Now sometimes we talk about very important matters, life and death matters. Let's take a look at that in this context here of 1 John chapter 3 verse 14. He says, we know that we have passed from death to life because we love the brethren. That's a fascinating scripture there, what he's trying to reveal to us. Whether we pass from death to life can be determined on whether or not we're truly loving the way God loves when it comes to loving the brethren.

It says, he who does not love his brother abides in death. Whoever hates his brother is a murder, and you know that no murder has eternal life abiding in him. And by this we know love. How do we know love? He goes on to answer the question. By this we know love because he laid down his life for us, and we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. He says that's how we know.

It's as clear as crystal. We follow the example of our elder brother, just as Christ laid down his life for his brothers and for his sisters, we as his brother or sister will do the same.

Let's notice another important point here. 1 John chapter 4 and verse 7. 1 John chapter 4 and verse 7.

If we don't love, we don't know God. If we don't love, then we don't know God. It's brought out here. Let's notice that in 1 John chapter 4 and verse 7.

He says, Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God. And everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. So, he's telling us here, if we don't love, we don't know God.

We don't know God, because God is love. That's what he is. It's a defining characteristic that he has and that he wants us to have as well.

Let's jump to verse number 20.

If someone says, I love God and hates his brother, he's not telling the truth. He's lying. For he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?

Brethren, as we look over the landscape of humanity, God loves every single one.

And what he's telling his sons and daughters is, I want you to love every single one. Even the enemies. Even the enemies. Verse number 21, and this commandment we have from him.

So, this is a commandment from God. This commandment we have from him, that he who loves God must love his brother also. They're intertwined.

They stand or fall together. We can't do one without the other. We can't love God and not love our brother. We can't love our brother unless we love God.

We can't do one without the other.

They're intertwined, and that's why these two hang all the law and the prophets.

Let's take a look at another point here.

Let's return to 1 John chapter 3, verse number 16.

The God says we have to love in deeds and not in words. In deeds and not in words.

Let's notice that from Scripture here.

1 John chapter 3 and verse 16. We read that, but we didn't go on with the next verse or two. 1 John chapter 3 verse 16.

By this we know love because he laid down his life for us, and we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has this world's goods and sees his brother in need and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?

And notice verse number 18.

My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.

You know, we begin to see that love is a verb. It's an action.

And through our actions, we show love.

You know, we've got brethren in the church who have needs.

And how are we doing? How are we doing? We can only answer that question alone, you know, as we stand before God. How are we doing and helping the needs of the brethren?

But let us not love in verse 18 in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.

So, brethren, what's this all look like practically? You know, for us here, now, in our lives here in this congregation here.

Well, let's turn over to Romans chapter 12 and verse number 1. Romans chapter 12 and verse number 1.

Paul has a lot to share here among the brethren there of Rome and with us as we read through here.

And we're going to pick it up in verse number 9 of Romans chapter 12. We'll pick it up in verse 9. And Paul is telling the church how to act among themselves and how to act towards the world.

And he basically says that we have to start with ourselves.

You know, love starts within the congregation of God, and then we exhibit that. We exhibit that because it becomes a part of our character, and then we begin to exhibit that with everyone that we come in contact with. So we start with applying the commandment to love our neighbor with each other in the church. And if we can't apply that commandment among all of us here, then how we'll be able to apply this commandment to those that are out in the world.

And if we can't be kind with one another here, then we'll never learn to be kind, or we'll never be able to be kind with those outside in the world or be able to show what kindness looks like. So Paul says it starts here. Let's take a look at verse number 9 here.

He says, Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhoor what is evil and cling to what is good.

These all may seem like detached ideas, but they're really not. They're really connected here.

What's hypocrisy mean? That's important to understand. If love is to be without hypocrisy, what's hypocrisy? Well, that's the practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs which one's own behavior does not conform to. The practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs which one's own behavior does not conform. It's pretending to be something that you're not. It's pretense. It's play-acting. And so we see here that hypocrisy means some of these things, but there's a difference between learning something that's new and play-acting.

Sometimes you have to learn something new and it doesn't seem natural. It doesn't seem natural at all. Sometimes you have to learn kindness by saying, Okay, it's important for me to be kind here, even though you may not naturally feel like being kind at the moment. But you're learning kindness.

You're learning it. So that's not play-acting because you're learning something new.

Hypocrisy means you're doing something for show or for a wrong motive or to look better than what you are. And there's really no real meaning to it. No real spiritual meat behind it, behind that type of love. So Paul says, Let love be without hypocrisy. And in order to do that, he says to abhor or to hate what is evil, but hold on to or cling to or grab hold of what is good.

You know, I don't know if we've played one of the DVD messages that Gary Petty gave on the Agape series, but he covers here in Romans chapter 12. And he makes a comment on this particular verse here about hating evil and clinging to the good. He says the following. He says, You know, it's easy to hate evil, but it's difficult to love good. He says, We're very good at hating evil, but in all honesty, we're not always very good at loving good. We're just not. He goes on to say, When all you do is hate evil, you become a very negative person.

So Paul says to do all of this without hypocrisy, without the play acting, to abhor evil and grab hold of what is good. It's all a balance here of abhorring the evil, but also to clinging to what's good and to love without the hypocrisy. Verse number 10, And be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love. Now, this isn't the Agape word that we've been reading about in these two great commandments here. When we talk about brotherly love, the Greek word is phileo, which is talking about an emotional love. So Paul is instructing us here that we need to have this brotherly love as well, this phileo. It has to do with affection.

There's some emotion involved. And, brethren, it all starts. It starts with us. It starts in our families. It starts with our children. It starts with our church family. It starts with us right here in this room with our church family here. And this is something that God says we must do, to have kind affection to one another with brotherly love. It's in actions and emotions.

And in honor, giving preference to one another. Well, that's a hard thing to do humanly.

Is in honor, giving preference to one another. Not always my desires, my ideas, my thoughts, my ways, but really what's best for everyone else? Or what's best for the other person that I am dealing with? To stand back and say, what is it that I need to do that's really best for that other person?

Not necessarily what I think or what I want, but what's best for them?

Has to do with giving honor and giving preference to one another. Let's jump to verse number 13. Distributing to the needs of the saints. We've touched on that already.

Distributing to the needs of the saints and given to hospitality.

So he says in the church we should be looking out for each other's needs and to be hospitable.

You may say, well, I don't think I've got a nice enough home to be able to have people to come over.

I think I mentioned to you about our brethren in India and about their hospitality and how it didn't bother them that we were coming to a home that maybe had only two or three rooms.

No heating, no air conditioning, you know, maybe not as clean as we might think what we're used to here. And then they would invite us over to their homes just to sit on one of their beds because they didn't have enough chairs. We'd sit on the bed that they sleep in and have a cup of tea.

You know, that's how they looked at it. The size of the house for them wasn't an issue.

And some may say, well, I can't be hospitable because I can't afford to feed people. But you know feeding them isn't a necessity, but sharing time, I think, is what God's trying to tell us here through Paul is a necessity. If we're going to have love in the church, we have to have relationships. We have to spend time with each other. I don't know of any other way, do you, you know, to be able to practice hospitality without actually spending time with each other? I've been kind of encouraged lately, brethren, and you know when you are showing hospitality, it doesn't have to be a large group. It could be one family. It could be one or two families. It could have to be a large group. And I've been encouraged because just in the last couple of weeks, I've talked to three or four of you that said, you know, you've been hosting people. You've had people over to your homes. And so that's really encouraging, brethren. Now, one helpful hint might be to invite brethren over on a nice day and not necessarily on the coldest night of the sub-zero Minnesota temperatures that you can come to. So just throwing that out, one possible hint that might be helpful. Let's go on to verse number 14. Bless those who persecute you.

Bless and do not curse. Paul continues with this thought of loving, and now it addresses even our enemies. Kind of ties in, doesn't it, with what Christ said in the Sermon on the Mountain, on the mountain, Matthew chapter 5, to love enemies, to bless those who persecute you. So Paul and Christ are on the same page, and of course they want us to be on that page as well.

And this is a command from God. This is a command, and it's a sermon probably in itself. Verse number 15. Rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. That's empathy.

We know empathy. You know you really can't love somebody without empathy. You really feel it. It's not put on. You rejoice when someone rejoices. You empathize with them, and then you're weeping when they're having a difficulty and trial in their life. Empathy is the ability to understand someone else, the ability to come to the point where you even share their emotions.

You get to know what they're thinking and why they're thinking of it. Even if you don't necessarily agree with that, you know why you've gone that far to understand someone else and where they're coming from. And he goes on with the idea of being humble here, not setting our mind, having the same mind towards one another. Verse 16, not setting our mind on high things, but associating with the humble and not to be wise in our own opinion. And those are things that would serve us very, very well. Verse 17, and not to repay anyone evil for evil. That seems to be a natural inclination of something. Somebody does something bad to us. We want to respond in a bad way. And it's written here not to do that in verse 17, but have regard for good things in the sight of all men. And if it's possible, verse 18, as much depends on you to live peaceably with all men.

It's not always possible, because otherwise he wouldn't have written it that way. But God does expect us to do our part, doesn't he? Because that's what he's commanded us to do. That's what he does. That's what he wants you and me to be, to be peacemakers. Verse 19, Beloved, don't avenge yourselves. Apparently he knew that was a tendency. But give place to anger or wrath, for it is written, God says, vengeance is mine, I will repay. Verse 20, therefore if your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he's thirsty, give him a drink. For in so doing, you will heap coals of fire in his head. And don't be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. And verse 21 tells us why. If we are overcome by evil, we become just like the evil. So therefore the best way to fight evil is with good, is what he instructs us here in the scripture. And the way we do that is to give up the need for vengeance.

And what we're going through here in this particular area of scripture here in Romans chapter 12 is some of the most challenging love, I suppose, that we could have. To be peaceable, to think good, to bless those who persecute us, to have empathy, not to be wise in our own opinion, to be humble, and to give up an emotional need for vengeance. There's a lot here in Romans chapter 12.

Well, let's go back to James chapter 2 and verse 8. James chapter 2 and verse number 8. I'm going to get back to that. That's the scripture that we read about the royal law. We're talking about how can we do these things? How can we love? What's this look like among us here with each other and with the world? James chapter 2 and verse number 8. It says, if you really fulfill the royal law, according to the scripture, you shall love your neighbor as yourself, you do well. But if you show partiality, you commit sin, and you are convicted by the law as a transgressor. I'm going to cover a couple of words here of how we can fall short when it comes to loving neighbor. If we're showing partiality. You know, partiality does not mean that we're loving our neighbor when we show partiality. Partiality means that we have respect of persons. You might think, well, what's wrong with having respect of persons? Well, that's okay. But partiality is when we have respect selectively towards some over others. We're showing favoritism of some over others. Partiality showing respect for some over others. So favoritism is something that God talks about, or partiality.

Let's take a look at a couple of examples in families where there was an issue with favoritism or partiality. Let's go back to Genesis chapter 25 and verse number 24. Genesis chapter 25 and verse number 24. It's the story of Isaac and Rebecca.

Genesis 25 and verse number 24. There were twins in Rebecca's womb, and so when her days were fulfilled for her to give birth, indeed there were twins that were there. You remember Esau and Jacob. Verse 25, when the first one came out red, he was like a hairy garment all over, and they called his name Esau. And afterwards his brother came out, and his hand took hold of Esau's heel.

Surplanted, in other words. So where he got his name, Sir Planter, Jacob means Sir Planter. So his name was called Jacob, and Isaac was 60 years old when she bore them, and the boys grew.

And Esau, if you remember, he was the skillful hunter. He was a man of the field, and Jacob was a mild man. He spent most of his time dwelling inside in the tents.

Verse 28, and it says, And Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.

So they both had a favoritism when it came to these two children.

Isaac had his favorite. Jacob had her favorite. And you know, within a family dynamics, not always the best situation. And there were problems between these two, these two boys, growing up, partly because of their parents, because of the favoritism that they each showed their two twin sons. Well, let's look at another example of favoritism in Genesis chapter 37, in verse 3. Genesis chapter 37, in verse number 3.

Pretty well-known story here, too. Genesis chapter 37, verse 3.

Israel, whose name prior to this was Jacob, and God changed his name from Jacob to Israel. Now, Israel loved Joseph more than all of his children, because he was the son of his old age, and also he made him a tunic of many colors. So it must have been obvious that Joseph was Israel's favorite. But notice how that affected the other brothers in verse number 4. But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all of his brothers, they hated him. They hated him and could not speak peaceably to him. Wow, there wasn't peace in the family. In fact, the brothers hated Joseph. You know, if you've been a parent, you know that you've probably heard that, you know, you've been told it's probably best not to show favoritism. Try to treat all of the children equally. And sometimes that's a challenge, because you maybe tend to be drawn to one more over the other. Whether you have the same personality type, or you just have the same likes or dislikes, that can be a drawing card. But I think the parents that have been thinking about how important it is for the whole family realizes that they need to try to treat them all as impartially as possible. But Israel apparently did not do that with Joseph, and the brothers noticed that. And it says they hated Joseph, and they couldn't speak peaceably to him. God talks about partiality. We're going to take a look at it. We touched on it already in James chapter 2, verse 8. But God doesn't like it. He says, stay away from it. He hates it.

And by Jacob doing this, it almost costs the life of Joseph. Now, of course, God had other things in mind here. But favoritism can be a real test for families. And it was here in this case, but can also be a test for church families, brethren.

Could showing partiality in our church family cause problems in the church?

Do we love some more than others the way that Israel loved Joseph more than some of his other children? Could we be like Jacob and Rebecca and show partiality to a brother or a sister?

Let's go back to James. Why does favoritism, James chapter 2, cause problems?

James chapter 2 and verse 1.

Let's take a look at Scripture and see what God shares with us here. James chapter 2 and verse 1.

As God continues to fine-tune us to be like him and like his son Jesus Christ, he continues to share more information to us as we go through our life's journey here.

But why does favoritism cause problems? Let's pick it up here, James chapter 2 and verse 1. My brethren, don't hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ. This truth that we have, this faith that we have in God and in his son Jesus Christ, don't hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory with partiality. What's he getting at here? Verse 2 explains, For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes, and you say, Come here, sit in a really good place.

And you say to the poor guy, Come sit over there, or come sit at my footstool here.

Verse number four, important scripture, Have you not shown partiality among yourselves and become judges? Notice, judges with evil thoughts.

God tells us that favoritism or partiality causes us to become judges with evil thoughts.

You know, God, when he looks at us, he doesn't think of it that way. He's impartial with all of us.

He says, I want you to be the same way. In dealing with your brother, you can fail to love your brother by showing partiality. And you're not really loving your brother if you're showing partiality. Deuteronomy chapter one, verse 16. I know that we're going through a lot of scriptures here, but I'm going to let God do most of the talking. Deuteronomy chapter one, in verse number 16. Favoritism or partiality causes us to become judges with evil thoughts.

God shows how important it is for us not to do that. And part of that is here in Deuteronomy chapter one, in verse 16. Moses is speaking here in this context. He says this, Then I commanded your judges at that time, saying, Hear the cases between your brethren and judge righteously between a man and his brother or the stranger who's with him. Doesn't matter. Whoever it is, any human being, to judge righteously between a man and his brother or the stranger who's with him. Verse 17. You shall not show partiality. I think the old King James, if you've got that, says respect. Selective respect in that context. You shall not show partiality in judgment. You shall hear the small as well as the great. You shall not be afraid in any man's presence. For the judgment is God's. You're not going to be afraid what people think. God says be impartial, whether they're small or great. Don't worry about those that are on the outside. Don't be afraid of any man's presence. For the judgment is God's. If the case is too hard for you, then bring it to me and I will hear it. Brethren, there's a tendency sometimes to give advantages to the rich, but it's just as wrong to give advantages to the poor. Let's look at Leviticus chapter 19 verse 15. Leviticus chapter 19 and verse number 15.

You shall do no injustice in judgment. You shall not be partial to the poor. So you're fair with them, too. And you're not giving them advantages that they shouldn't have. You shall not be partial to the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty. In righteousness, you shall judge your neighbor. God's trying to fine-tune us, isn't he? Not to show favoritism, but maybe someone who's talking over someone who doesn't tend to talk a whole lot. The quiet person.

Not to show favoritism for the charismatic person over the deep thinker.

You know, I heard a story when we were at the Winter Family Weekend about something that happened at the Feast of Tabernacles and happened among a choir rehearsal, and somebody said something to somebody else, which was kind of rude. And later they found out who it was that they'd sent it to. They hadn't really known that person very well, and they went to apologize and said, you know, I'm really sorry. I didn't realize that you were an elder's wife.

Shouldn't make any difference, should it?

But it's human for us to do that, to show partiality.

And we've probably all done at certain times, but God is saying, okay, I know that you've done those things. We've all done those things.

And so now let's begin to develop the love of God, the love of God for our Maker and the love of God for those that He's created, our neighbor. We can't be partial to anyone, can we? And if we do, God's made a way for us to be restored. If we're partial, we can apologize and tell God we're sorry and go forward. And He's just to forgive our sins.

We can begin to walk the journey again.

Romans chapter 13, verse 8. Romans chapter 13 and verse 8.

Oh, no one anything except to love one another, for ye who loves another has fulfilled the law.

You know, not supposed to owe anything to anyone, if you can help it. That's the best way to get out of debt. But I think He's talking about spiritually here that there is something that we do owe and will always owe to God and to one another is to love them. God says we owe that to each other. We owe that to each other. Maybe you can think about this, but what effect do you think that favoritism can have on a congregation? What effect can it have? Imagine a church or a congregation where some are favored over others. What do you think the fruits of that are going to be? What do you think that will do to the congregation? God tells us it's time to examine ourselves when it comes to this. To look at ourselves, to examine ourselves. Do we show the same respect for everyone? Do we show the same concern for everyone? Now, we all have to answer, and I'm talking to myself here, too. Don't get me wrong. Don't get me wrong. I'm in this with you.

I'm part of the sheep of the congregation. But let's examine ourselves. Do we show the same concern for everyone? Or is it selectively sometimes each and every week? On a given week, it seems like it's the same people. So in this life, in this place, in this congregation of God, I think God's trying to tell us it's a good time to start practicing non-partiality and non-favoritism. It's a good time to start developing that. If we're going to teach this to the world, it needs to start somewhere. It needs to start with us. It starts at home, in our families, with our children, then in the congregation, and it goes out to the world. How can we love those in the world if we haven't yet learned to love our spouses or our children or our church family?

So as we go forward from here, this time, in this place, let's challenge ourselves not to show favoritism to other people or to the same people. Show favoritism to the same people. We're all one in Christ, neither Jew nor Gentile. Let's look at Job chapter 32 and verse 21. Job chapter 32 verse 21. God says he warns us about being partial, showing favoritism. And he says something else here that surprised me a little bit. He talks about flattery. Job chapter 32 and verse 21. This one caught me a little bit by surprise, but I can see why God speaks of it.

Job chapter 32, and we'll pick it up in verse 21, he says, Let me not, I pray, show partiality to any one. So Job had this understanding. Let me not show partiality to anyone, nor let me flatter any man. For I do not know how to flatter, else my maker would soon take me away. So apparently God doesn't speak to or think to fondly of flattery.

What's flattery? Well, it's insincere comments, praise, or compliments to somebody that's not really sincere, that really has a motive of all of its own. And you know, non-sincere flattery isn't really love. It's not really loving one another. Trying to get something from someone or having other motives isn't love. And you know, it can also apply to God. It can also apply to God. I'll just reference a couple of scriptures. You know, remember the scripture that says, there are those that honor me with their lips. But they're not sincere. Their heart is far from me.

You know, we can flatter God, too. We can say, well, Lord, Lord!

But Jesus, you know, Jesus, you're calling me Lord, you're calling me Master, but you're not doing the things that a Lord and Master has told you to do.

So we can flatter God, we can flatter Jesus Christ. That's in Isaiah chapter 29, verse 13.

And Mark chapter 7 and verse 6, where it says, you honor me with your lips, with your words, but your heart is far away.

Proverbs chapter 26 and verse 24. Proverbs chapter 26 and verse 24.

Our words are so important. They can either be good or helpful, or they could be very damaging.

Proverbs chapter 26 and verse 24. He that hates, and I guess we're talking about hating a neighbor, dissembles with his lips. It's like he's tearing things apart. He's destroying something. He dissembles with his lips, with the words that he speaks, and lays up deceit within him. And when he speaks fair, don't believe him. For there are seven abominations in his heart. I think seven's the number of completions, so it sounds pretty sobering. Verse 26, whose hatred is covered. It isn't necessarily seen. It's covered by deceit. His wickedness shall be showed before the whole congregation. God says eventually the truth will come out. Verse 27, who digs a pit shall fall therein. Digging it for somebody else most likely, but then falling at it yourself. And he that rolls a stone, it's going to return upon him. Verse 28 is the one I want to focus on, though. But a lying tongue hates those that are afflicted by it, and a flattering mouth works ruin. So flattery is also something to be thinking about, whether we really love someone or not. You know, the Pharisees tried to flatter Christ, but they had some motives. Let's take a look at Matthew 22 and verse 15.

Matthew 22 and verse 15.

Then when the Pharisees took counsel, how they might entangle him in his talk. So I guess we know what their motive was. They had a motive. How are we going to catch him in his talk? Let's try to entangle him. Verse 16. So they sent out unto him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Master, we know that you are true, and you teach the way of God in truth, and neither you care for any man. I think it says in the parallel count in Luke 20 verse 20 that you're not partial to other people. Neither do you care for any man, nor do you regard the person of men. Tell us, therefore, what do you think? Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Caesar or not? So are we going to show partiality to Caesar here? You know, if we're not going to, if we're going to be totally impartial, why should we pay taxes to Caesar? So they're trying to entangle him. But Jesus saw right through it in verse 18. He perceived their wickedness. You know, all of those words didn't mean anything. He saw right through it. And he says, Why are you tempting me? And then he calls them hypocrites, pretending to be something that they weren't. So they had something going on behind the scenes. They had another motive. Brother, let's, what's the measuring stick here of the royal law? Let's turn over Ephesians 529.

Ephesians 529.

You know, originally the law was, the second was like it, you shall love your neighbor as yourself.

And Ephesians 529 says, Well, no man ever yet hated his own flesh, but he nourisheth and cherisheth, even as the Lord the church.

You know, most people love themselves, and that's okay. Others don't love themselves like they should.

But that's not an excuse not to love your neighbor or our neighbor. We're to love ourselves. God loves us. And so that was the original measuring stick, is to love others as yourself. But then that changed. Jesus Christ gave us an even higher measuring stick in John chapter 13 and verse 34.

John chapter 13 and verse number 34.

He says, A new commandment I give to you. This is towards the end of his life. This is after he had answered the question about the greatest commandment in the law, and the second one is like it.

He says, Now I'm going to give you a new commandment. He says, A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another as I have loved you. And so that was a change from the original second commandment, the great commandment, because the love that he had was a wonderful example, and they were astounded by the love that he had for them. He says, That you love one another as I have loved you, that you also love one another. And it's going to be by this, that all men are going to know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. It's not going to be because of the clothes that you wear. It's not going to be a Muslim garb. It's not going to be a Jewish garb. It's not going to be something that you're wearing. It's something that's going to be very different, that shows who my disciples are, who my people are. You know, this was going to be a love that was so rare. It was going to be a love that was so unusual that people would take note of it. Brethren, if we could just love God and neighbor the way Christ loved us, we could interpret all the rest of the laws and commandments of God, because their central theme is love.

There was a question asked by God himself, the Son of God, what is the great commandment in the law?

And he answered that question. He said, you shall love the Lord your God with all of your heart, with all of your soul, and with all of your strength. And then you shall love the second is like it. He said, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. And on these two great commands, hang all the law on the prophets. And then it was asked again later by another lawyer, what must I do to inherit eternal life? Jesus said, well, how do you read the scriptures? He said, well, you should love the Lord your God with all of your heart, with all of your soul, and with all of your mind. And you shall love your neighbor as yourself. And Jesus Christ said, you have answered rightly, do this and you shall live.