1. Week 1 - Love your neighbor: Defined & Applied
1.1. Passage: Luke 10:25-37 // Parable of the Good Samaritan
1.2. The reference to love you neighbor: vs 27
1.3. Main point: Our "neighbors" are not defined by boundaries - ethnically, geographically, even familialy. Neighbor is the one in need that is before us
1.4. Things to consider
1.4.1. The theme of compassion
1.4.2. The hypocrisy of religion
1.4.3. The desire to avoid the sinner
1.4.4. The cost & strain of love
2. Week 3 - Love your enemy: extreme & personal
2.1. Passage: Matt 5:43-48 // Love your enemy
2.2. Main point: The neighbor we are to love may in fact the be enemy we do not want to love. When we do this, then we reflect the Father - who loved us while we were enemies. If we don't and only love our friends (meaning we bound "neighbor" to those we get along with or relationally connect with) then we are no better than the "Gentiles". Praise God He is not like that
2.3. Things to consider
2.3.1. This passage is full of extremes: (1) not only love your neighbor, love your enemy (2) not only suggested, but do this so you may be perfect
2.3.2. The neccessity to love your neighbor: vs 43 "so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven"
2.3.3. Living in isolation makes us no better than the rest of the world.
3. MISC
3.1. Matt 19:19 - Rich young ruler and question "what must I do"?
3.1.1. Background: Rich young man asks Jesus "What good deed must I do to have eternal life?"
3.1.1.1. Eternal life is not so easy as this man would hope. What deed must i do - there is both self-justification here and naive understanding. Naive in the sense that eternal life is simple, mechanical,
3.1.1.2. This man believed in eternal life
3.1.1.3. This man wanted eternal life
3.1.1.4. This man thought "good deeds" merit eternal life
3.1.1.5. This man thought "good deeds" to merit eternal life was attainable
3.1.1.6. This man does not consider "bad deeds" that will keep him out of eternal life.
3.1.2. Vs 17 - Getting to heaven is about being "good" the only problem is who will be good enough? Jesus had an answer.
3.1.3. POINT: Jesus says "why do you ask me about what is good?" (Mat 19:17)
3.1.4. Of all the things Jesus lists in Matt 19:17-19, only one was expanded in verse 20-21. The rich man said "i have done all these" and it may be the other he had, but loving your neighbor has no limits. Not easy to self-justify with. So Jesus says sell all you have.
3.1.5. "if you would be perfect" (v21) - jesus assumes that's what this man meant when he said "All these I have kept." It's so easy to look for the law of things and not the heart of things. It's most easy to take those commands that are simply binary in it's outcome - do no lie, do not commit adulturer, do not seat do no murder. Those are easy. they are yes and no. There no no gray ears. These are the greatest for self-justification. But Then jesus ays love your neighbors. And there is the call. The full test of sanctificaiton. When there is no line but the line of God's holiness and character.
3.1.6. POINT: Loving your neighbor is endless in limits (v21). It is undergirded by the idea that the life to come is far better than the life now. This hope frees us to let go and to treasure heaven
3.1.7. Relevance in today's culture should not deter us from putting all our hope in the life to come.
3.1.8. Being the best neighbors in the here and now is anchored in great hope of our future residence. So living in the present is driven by hope in the future.
3.1.9. Radical generosity in this life only makes sense when there is deep faith in the hope of the future.
3.2. Matt 5:43 - Sermon on the mount
3.2.1. ““You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’” (Matthew 5:43, ESV)
3.2.2. POINT: Jesus here is expanding the OLD idea of neighbor to expand beyond the ethnic boundary of Israel.
3.2.3. Loving neighbors that are enemies demonstrates "so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven" (Matt 5:44)
3.3. Matt 22:39 - Jesus questioned by a lawyer
3.3.1. JEsus says the law is summed in this: Love God and love People.