Loving Our Neighbor’s Life

Minister:
Date: AM
Text: Luke 10; Lord's Day 40
Psalters: 252, 342, 113, 370
  1. The life given.
    1. Earthly human life is a gift of God (Deut. 32:39) which is a picture/type of real, spiritual life.
    2. Man’s fall into sin brought death.
      1. Death is God’s wrath as punishment of sin. It is the agonizing loss of sweet communion with God.
      2. Fallen man is spiritually dead, a child of the devil, who is a murderer from the beginning (John 8:44).
  2. The killing forbidden.
    1. To kill is to take a life without having the authority to do so.
    2. Murder touches God in three ways.
      1. First, it is to take away what God has given. We had nothing with giving life, and we do not have the right to take it away.
      2. Second, it is critical judgment of God's all-wise providence, Who put that neighbor in my path.
      3. Third, we touch God Himself, Who created that human in His own image (Gen. 9:6).
    3. God commands capital punishment to show the seriousness of this sin (Gen. 9:5,6; Ex. 21:12).
  3. God demands that we love, i.e., the decision to preserve his life, to do them only good, to have as much fellowship as possible.
    1. Love for the neighbor and brother is a calling (not an option) arising out of gratitude for His love.
    2. What makes love of neighbor difficult is our thinking more of ourselves and our neighbor than of God.
      1. To control our anger and desire for revenge we must use self-control (temperance).
      2. Seek to pattern your love after God's love, and seek to resemble Him Who does good to all (Matt. 5:45).
    3. In great gratitude we strive to reflect His love, both to ourselves and to our neighbor.