Matt's Messages - Love Your Neighbor

"Love Your Neighbor"
Graduate Sunday
May 22, 2005
Exodus 20:13-17

We are in the 10 Commandments together in our study of the Book of Exodus. Last week, we studied the first 4. Two weeks ago, we studied the 5th Commandment. Today, we’re going to study the last 5 commandments, verses 13 through 17.

Now remember, there is a lot that can be said about these 5 verses! We could study them for months or years on end. Back in the year 2000, I preached a single sermon on each commandment. And the notes from those sermons are available on the lansefree.org website. The first 5 sermons up are already. And hopefully, this week, we’ll put up the rest.

I’m not going to say everything there is to say about these last five commandments. In fact, even though there are five commandments, I only have four points for you this morning.

When the Pharisees came to test the Lord Jesus and try to trap Him in a contradiction or a blasphemy, they asked Him, "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?"

Jesus knew just what to say (Matthew 22:37), "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' [And then He said,] All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

Love Your God and Love Your Neighbor. All the Law hangs on these two commandments.

Last week, we saw how the first 4 commandments are a reliable guide towards loving your God. Love God first and foremost, as He really is, with holy reverence, and holy trust.

This week, we’re going to see these last 5 commandments as a reliable guide towards loving our neighbors as ourselves. These last 5 commandments are a reliable guide towards loving our neighbors. Let’s read Exodus 20:13-17 and then pray.

"You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor." (NIV)

[prayer]

Who Is My Neighbor?

Back when I was a youth pastor, I taught the youth about Jesus’ statement that the Law and the Prophets hang on the twin commands to Love Your God and Love Your Neighbor.

And one of the perky young ladies in the group told me that I shouldn’t tell them to love their neighbors using that word "neighbor" because she and her dad didn’t know their neighbors or like their neighbors. So, I should say something like, "love other people" or "love your friends" not "love your neighbors."

Now, this young lady was making at least three mistakes. First, she was assuming a narrow definition of the word "neighbor" to mean just those who live in the same neighborhood as you do. The Lord Jesus meant something much bigger as the parable of the Good Samaritan proves. Our neighbor is anyone whom God causes to cross our path.

The second mistake that this young lady was making was assuming that Jesus’ command was not very narrow and specific, as well. Those people in our neighborhoods are our neighbors! And we are called to show love to them.

The third mistake was to have a problem with me telling them to love their neighbors. If we have a problem with that command, our problem is with Jesus. He’s the One Who said it.

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

Love Your Neighbor.

What does that mean? What does that look like practically? God told Israel what it looks like in the 10 Commandments. Look at the 6th commandment, verse 13.

"You shall not murder."

That’s pretty simple. Put negatively here (in the strongest possible terms), YHWH commanded the Israelites to not kill with murderous intent. This does not rule out capital punishment or properly constituted warfare or killing animals for protection or meat, but the LORD clearly does not want the Israelites to kill other humans with murderous intent.

"You shall not murder." Instead, put positively, LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR BY (#1) UPHOLDING THEIR LIFE.

As we study the rest of the Bible, we see that this command pointed towards much more than not murdering; it pointed to the sanctity, the dignity, of God-given human life.

Your neighbor has a life. Uphold it. Protect it, as it is in your power to do. Care for people. Don’t seek to harm them.

Obviously this command covers the murders we read about in the paper day in and day out. They should not be. Especially the terrorist bombings in Iraq and the Middle East.

Obviously this command includes prohibitions of the many forms of violence that move people closer to death: muggings, beatings, spousal abuse, child abuse. Those are wrong!

Obviously this command prohibits the genocide happening in Sudan, just like it prohobited the the Jews (6 million Jews were murdered just for being Jewish in World War Two). It should have never happened.

But there are also murders going on in this country today that outway those in the staggering numbers. Since 1973, (Roe v. Wade) abortion on demand has been the "law of the land." Killing unborn babies has become routine. A whole generation of children were not given a chance to grow up. Conservative estimates of abortion numbers are 42 million murders of children over the last 32 years.

And God says, "You shall not murder."

Your neighbor has a life. Uphold it. Protect it, as it is in your power to do. Care for people. Don’t seek to harm their life.

If you love your neighbor, you will seek the best for them. And that means upholding the value of their life.

We live in a day and age an and culture where human life is a de-valued commodity. With "physician-assisted suicide" [can you believe that phrase? "physician-assisted suicide"], euthanasia, end-of-life-decisions, human cloning, embryonic stem-cell research, human life is a de-valued commodity. Or at least, some humans’ lives are de-valued–those who can’t fight back. Those who are deemed to have a quality of life that is simply not worth upholding and can’t talk back.

The last Pope called our culture "The Culture of Death," and he was right. And he said [and our President has used the same words] that we need to embrace and create and develop a "Culture of Life." Where the life of our neighbors are upheld.

Of course, Jesus radically intensifies this command in the Sermon on the Mount. He says that anyone who hates his brother is a murderer. Murder starts in our hearts. It’s just as bad to hate as it is to kill. Not just as bad for the victim! But just as bad for the one hating.

Do you love your neighbor? Who have you demonstrated hate towards this week? Is there something you need to repent of? Is there someone that you need to get right with?

Are you in a difficult relationship with someone right now? Are you tempted to hate them? Don’t just not kill them in your mind, in your heart, in your words, in your actions, but love them–and uphold their life.

#2. LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR BY UPHOLDING THEIR PURITY. V.14

"You shall not commit adultery."

YHWH thundering the 10 Commandments from Mount Sinai is concerned with what happens in the bedroom.

"You shall not commit adultery."

Don’t break the marriage bond. The New Testament says, "Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral." (Hebrew 13:4)

"You shall not commit adultery."

Of course, the Lord pointing towards more than just adultery here. He’s saying (and the rest of the Bible says), uphold your neighbor’s purity.

Keep yourself pure and guard, protect, sanctify, keep special your neighbor’s purity, too.

Sex is a good thing. God created it. The best book I’ve read in 2005 so far is "Sex, Romance, and the Glory of God" by C.J. Mahaney. It’s all about the Song of Songs.

Sex was God’s idea. But He has a certain prescription for it. It’s so powerful that it comes with a prescription by the Maker. You are only to explore sex within the safe confines of the marriage covenant.

As I’ve said before, "Sex belongs in marriage like fire belongs in the fireplace."

That’s how we uphold each other’s purity. The pure fire of sex burns brightly and powerfully within the fireplace of the marriage covenant.

So, this commandment rules out marital infidelity, but it also rules out pre-marital intimacy. Because that woman or that man that you are not married to is not your wife or your husband.

It certainly rules out homosexuality and lesbianism and bestiality and pornography. Those are all perversions of the wonderful gift of sexuality within the marriage covenant.

It also rules out lust. The Lord Jesus intensified this commandment, too, in the Sermon on Mount. He said that whenever a man looks lustfully on a woman (and the same is true the other way), he has committed adultery with her in his heart.

I just finished reading a great book on fighting lust by Joshua Harris called "Not Even a Hint."

If we are going to love each other, we need to uphold each other’s purity. We need to repent of our lingering gazes and lustful fantasies.

Your neighbor (and this includes anyone who comes across your path) needs you to not lust after him or her, not say cruel things or tempting things (!) about their bodies, not to have you dress immodestly in their presence and lure them into sin, not to have you downloading their pictures and using them for your private pleasures.

Your neighbor needs you (and this completely flies against the grain of our culture) to love them by protecting, preserving, lifting up, sanctifying their purity.

If the sixth commandment establishes the sanctity of life, the seventh commandment establishes the sanctity of marital sexuality. It’s a good and holy thing and should be honored by all.

How are you doing at loving your neighbors in this way? Do you have something to repent of? Do you have a safe friend that you can confess your sins to and be held accountable?

Graduates, as some of you go off to college, you are going to be hit with an incredible amount of temptation in this area. I have read several articles this year about the sexual debauchery on college campuses, even Christian ones.

You need to decide now and regularly re-commit yourself to your own purity–saving yourself for marriage. And regularly commit yourself to loving your neighbor the pretty young ladies and handsome young men that will cross your path. Love them by upholding their purity.

And then, if the Lord in His grace, gives you a mate, uphold your particular wife or husband’s purity by enjoying God-given, God-blessed, God-glorifying sex. Enjoy the fire in the fireplace of God’s blessing.

#3. LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR BY UPHOLDING THEIR BLESSINGS. V.15

"You shall not steal."

God has given your neighbor (whoever that may be) a certain amount of temporal blessings, that is, blessings within this life. Possessions are a blessing. God has given us our possession to enjoy and to share.

We tell our kids that all of the time. God has given us these toys to enjoy and to share. To enjoy and to show love with.

God has each of us certain blessings. But God has also given our neighbors certain blessings. They are not ours. They are theirs.

And the 8th commandment forbids stealing them.

"You shall not steal." Instead, love your neighbor by upholding their possessions as their possessions. Their property rights as their property rights. Their God-bestowed blessings as their God-bestowed blessings!

They are to enjoy them and share them as God allows.

We are not to take them.

And this is whatever neighbor crosses our path. Neighborhood neighbors. Employer neighbors. A lot of retailers lose more money through employee theft than through shop-lifting! Or stealing time from your employer (elongating coffee breaks or inflating a time-sheet). Or an employer stealing time from an employee, making them work "off of the clock."

Or stealing from a loaning neighbor, not paying your bills. Or a government neighbor, not paying your taxes.

This commandment covers taking anything (any blessing) that is not rightfully yours. It could be a patent or a trade-secret or a customer info database, or some kind of intellectual property.

Or it could be a student cheating on a test or paper. Taking those answers to questions that you did not come up with yourself (even if they give them to you and you have no right to them), that’s stealing. God says, "You shall not steal."

Those blessings are their blessings. Uphold them.

Have you been taking something from someone else? Something that’s not righfully yours? Time, money, information, things, stuff?

We steal because we don’t trust God to provide all of the blessings we need in Christ.

But if we belong to Him, we are promised everything we need. He is sufficient. And He will supply.

Because we have those promises, we can love our neighbors as we would want to be loved. Who wants to be stolen from?

If you have stolen something, give it back. And make restitution. Swallow your pride and return the item with a confession. Take whatever consequences come your way. And trust God to provide all of the blessing that you will ever need.

"And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:19)

He’s sufficient for us to love our neighbors and uphold their blessings as their blessings.

#4. LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR BY UPHOLDING THEIR REPUTATION.

If the sixth commandment establishes the sanctity of human life, and the seventh commandment establishes the honorability of the marriage bed, and the eighth commandment establishes the dignity of ownership, the ninth commandment establishes the importance of truth. V.16

"You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor."

YHWH says from Mount Sinai, "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor."
Tell the truth about them.

You can see the situation in your mind, can you not? You are in a court of law. Your neighbor, an acquaintance, someone you know, is on trial. And you are a witness. What you say counts. What you say matters in what happens to your neighbor.

Imagine, for a second, that you don’t like this person. This person has always been a thorn in your side. They are a pain the neck. Here’s your chance to get back at them. To get your revenge.

What does that do to your testimony? Do you give the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God? What if no one in the world, would ever find out if you were telling the truth or lying?

God says, "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor." It doesn’t matter if you like them, it doesn’t matter if you even know them. No matter what, do not give false testimony. Instead, love that person with the truth because a lie could hurt them.

God uses legal terminology here to highlight the demand for truthfulness because of the obvious painful ramifications of deceit. Don’t lie. Don’t slander. Don’t exaggerate the facts in your favor. Don’t be dishonest. Don’t misrepresent yourself or someone else. Don’t suppress the truth. Don’t deceive. Walk in the truth.

Your neighbor needs you to tell them the truth. And especially here in verse 16, to tell the truth about them.

YHWH said to Israel, "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor."

This is protecting their reputation.

Sometimes, a reputation is all that someone has.

Bearing false-witness steals even that away from them.

How would you like to be treated?

Raise your hand if you like to be lied about!

This is love for your neighbor. But it’s not always easy.

Lying actually comes more naturally. That’s because we are natural-born liars. Until we came to Christ, we acted like the devil. Jesus called the Devil, "The Big Daddy of Deceit." Or His actual words were, that Satan was a liar and the father of lies.

But if we belong to Christ, we belong to the Truth. He is the Truth with a capital T.

And we can learn (in the words of Ephesians 4:25) to "Put off falsehood and speak truthfully to [and about! our] neighbor..."

Have you been upholding your neighbor’s reputation? How do you talk about people in your life? Are you full of truth? Or are you walking falsehood?

All four of these commandments (as they are stated in Exodus 20) are about taking something valuable away from someone else.

Taking their life.
Taking their purity.
Taking their blessings.
Taking their reputation away from them.

The last commandment is about WANTING to take things (or possess things) that are rightfully someone else’s. It’s about coveting them. V.17

"You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor."

This is the most internal of the 10 Commandments. It’s the most attitudinal. You can’t measure it from the outside. You can’t always detect it from the outside!

While commandments 6, 7, 8, and 9 are about taking things, the 10th commandment is about wanting to take or have those things–especially someone else’s blessings (in the words of Exodus, their house, their wife, or manservant or maidservant, or ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.

This commandment goes right to the heart.

You might think that these other four commands are pretty do-able on the outside. Don’t murder, don’t adulterize, don’t steal, don’t lie.

But when you get to commandment ten, you realize that you really do need help!

Upholding someone’s life, purity, blessings, and reputation means that I can’t even want them when they aren’t mine?

God cares that much about my desires? And whether or not they are legitimate desires?

Yes.

Because the New Testament makes it clear that coveting is idolatry which is breaking the first commandment.

Colossians 3:5, "Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed [that’s covetousness, now listen, evil desires and greed], which is idolatry."

Breaking the tenth commandment is breaking the first commandment.

It’s setting up an idol in your heart.

And that’s where, in many ways, these other sins come from!

Matthew 15:19, "[O]ut of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander."

Sound familiar?

This is why Jesus radically intensifies the 10 Commandments at the Sermon on the Mount. They were always pointing towards internal realities and the need for new hearts.

We can’t just keep these laws.
We can’t just obey them on the outside.

We can’t just love our neighbors on the outside.

We need new hearts.

We need to love our neighbors from the heart.

We need to uphold their lives, purity, blessings, and reputations from our hearts.

And it’s only in Jesus Christ that we can have a new heart.

These commandments, as reliable as they are as guide to loving our neighbors, first and foremost show us our hearts.

And they drive us to the Cross.

I can’t keep these commandments on my own. I have fallen way short of the standard. And I still do.

I need a Savior.

Jesus Christ died to pay for all of the times when I failed to love my neighbor.

He loved His neighbors perfectly. In word, deed, action, and attitude. From the heart.

And at the Cross, He gave me His perfect obedience. My sin on Him, His righteousness on me.

If you are not yet a faith-follower of Jesus Christ, He invites you to come to Him today and receive His gift of forgiveness and righteousness.

He invites you to trust Him to be your own righteousness. His perfect loving of His neighbors can be put on your account.

You have to turn from your reliance on yourself. You have to confess your failure to keep all of His commands. And you have to throw yourself on His mercy, trusting in what He has done for you.

And when you do, you not only get forgiven, but you get His Holy Spirit Who enables us to grow in His image. And to begin to love our neighbors as ourselves.

The Cross of Christ is the only way that we can Love Our Neighbors.

When we come through Christ, we can learn to uphold their lives, uphold their purity, uphold their blessings as their blessings, and uphold their reputation.

And yes...even have the right desires. Because the antidote to coveting is contentment in Christ.

And He is sufficient to be content in.