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Living Up to
Our Identity
Up-Dated -
Sunday, October 05, 2008
Table of
Contents
* Our Identity
* Our Commitment
* There are now 2
obvious questions
* What is Love?
* Who is my Neighbor?
Our
Identity
We are changed people
It is something that has happened to us
Not something we have done
We are changed by the Grace of God
* New Person,
2 Cor 5:17 "Therefore if any man
be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away;
behold, all things are become new."
* New Birth,
John 3:3 "Jesus answered and
said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born
again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."
* New Membership
(into the Family of God)
Joh 1:12-13 "But as many as
received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even
to them that believe on his name: which were born, not of blood, nor
of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."
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Our
Commitment
As new, changed Christians
We are Commanded to do good works:
* Not to be Christians
* But to live as Good Christians
Mt 22:36-40 "Master, which is
the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou
shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy
soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great
commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy
neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and
the prophets."
This is the sum total of the 10
Commandments.
This is a complete summation of all the Prophets.
Mark 12:31 said that there are no
other Commandments greater than these
Paul wrote it this way:
Romans 13:8 "Owe no man
any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath
fulfilled the law."
Romans 13:9
"Thou shalt not commit adultery,
Thou shalt not kill,
Thou shalt not steal,
Thou shalt not bear false witness,
Thou shalt not covet;
and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in
this saying, namely,
Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself."
All the Law is fulfilled the same
way.
Galatians 5:14 "For all
the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy
neighbour as thyself."
Loving your Neighbor as yourself is
the Royal Law
James 2:8-10 "If ye fulfil
the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy
neighbour as thyself, ye do well: but if ye have respect to persons,
ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors. For
whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he
is guilty of all."
Top
There are now 2 obvious
questions:
1. What is Love?
2. Who is my Neighbor?
What is
Love?
Love is the highest maturity (perfectness)
Col 3:14 "And above all these
things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness."
Love is putting others first
"Thou shalt love thy
neighbour as thyself."
We are commanded to take the Gospel
to the whole world.
James 2:15-16 "If a
brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, and one of
you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled;
notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to
the body; what doth it profit?"
Withholding what is needed
...
* It does not profit them
* It does not profit you
* It does not profit the Lord's work
Luke 3:11 "He that hath
two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath
meat, let him do likewise."
Jesus says ...
* Clothe the one with no clothes
* Feed the one with no food
1 John 3:17 "But whoso
hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and
shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love
of God in him?"
Love cares for the need of
the needy.
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Who
is my Neighbor?
Luke 10:30-35 "A certain man
went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which
stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving
him half dead. And by chance there came down a certain priest that
way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. And
likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him,
and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he
journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion
on him, and went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and
wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and
took care of him. And on the morrow when he departed, he took out
two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care
of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will
repay thee."
Jesus says that we are Changed at
Salvation for a purpose. To Commit our lives to love each
other to the extent that we care for the needs of our neighbor.
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