Are You A Good Neighbor?

Introduction

Good morning. I’m glad to have everyone here on a Labor Day weekend. We pray for those who are traveling that they remain safe, but we’re thankful for those of you who are here. Whether you’re traveling or you live here, we are thankful for at least most of you that live here anyway. This morning I want to talk about being a good neighbor. I’m going to ask the question: Are you a good neighbor? When we think about neighbors, we think about many different things, whether it’s uh Wilson from Home Improvement, the man who you could never see the rest of his face as he was peering over Tim Allen’s fence. Or perhaps it’s like my favorite story, a man named Jim. He one night let out his dog before he was going to bring him back in for the night.

And then when he went to let his dog back inside, there was a cat in the mouth of the dog. Now, the cat was bloodied and roughed up and clearly dead. And Jim panicked. He said, Oh no, this is my neighbor’s cat. What am I going to do? And being the good neighbor that Jim was, he took the cat inside and he washed it up. And he had to wash it again. In fact, he washed it four times. And late at midnight he snuck out and put the cat back on the front porch. Well, the next day, Jim saw his neighbor and he said, Hi. And he said, Hi, Jim. Something really strange happened last night. And Jim said, What’s that? And he said, Well, my cat died yesterday and we buried it, and this morning it’s on my front porch again.

1. Love Your Neighbor as Yourself

So you can determine whether or not Jim was being a good neighbor or not. But we need to make sure we know what we’re talking about this morning when we speak about who is a good neighbor. Because is it about taking care of one another? Is it about caring for each other’s pets? Is it being a good person? Or is there more to it than that? I hope you have your Bibles. We’re going to look at several passages very quickly to start out the lesson this morning. And start with me in the book of Leviticus, in chapter 19. We see that even God’s law, this side, that is the opposite side of the cross that we are on, contains important messages for us. In fact, the basis for our understanding of what and who a neighbor is found to God’s people.

In Leviticus chapter 19, in verse 18.

It says, You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord. Now, certainly there’s something to it there, is it not? Look again. But you shall love your neighbor as yourself. Now, does that suggest to you that perhaps it’s being a good person? Of course. Is being a good neighbor important to be kind and courteous? Yes. But what does the text say? Love your neighbor as yourself. Now we’re into a greater type of love. We’re into a more expansive love that we are called to, at least that the Israelites were called to. So now let’s look in your New Testament. At Romans chapter 13. We see this in the epistles many times.

In Romans chapter 13. Beginning in verse 8. Paul writes in verse 8 of Romans chapter 13, O no one anything except to love each other. For the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments you shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not covet. And any other commandment are summed up in this word. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Love does no wrong to a neighbor, therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. In fact, in Galatians chapter 5 and verse 14, Paul writes again, the fulfillment of the law is in the one word. Love your neighbor as yourself. This is a strong, powerful teaching. But of course, we understand that Jesus also looked at this.

And I hope you look with me. The next two passages we look at will be the anchor for our subject this morning of are you a good neighbor? Turn with me first to John chapter 13. Look at me in John chapter 13.

In John chapter 13, beginning in verse 34, we get a picture both of what Christ expects of us and even a glimpse into why he expects it. Beginning in John chapter 13 and verse 34. A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. Verse 35, by this, all people will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another. Verse 35 again, by this, all people will know that you are my disciples. Certainly, this is a key element for anyone who wishes to subscribe to the teachings and to follow after Christ. If we wish to be disciples, certainly we should be viewed as disciples. And Jesus says that we must love others as he loved us.

And now, yet again, we’ve expanded the vast nature of loving a neighbor. First of all, we think of the basic definition of love as in being kind, taking care of. And then in Leviticus chapter 19 and verse 18, God tells his people to love as you love yourself. Jesus says, you should love as I have loved you. And we will look at that in further depth in just a moment. But look with me at one other passage here before we slow down. In Matthew chapter 22. In Matthew chapter 22, we see yet another example beyond the ones that we are not turning to this morning for sake of time. Jesus makes this an important facet of our Christianity. Look in verse 34 of Matthew chapter 22.

But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law? And he said to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. Okay. That makes sense. Love the Lord with all of our heart, all of our mind, all of our soul. We get that. But Jesus continues. And a second is like it. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets. Do you know what Jesus says? He said, the second is like it.

Do we think of it that way, though? How often have you considered that loving your neighbor is like, or can be likened unto loving God with all of your heart, all of your mind, and all of your soul? Do we consider that it is just as important or that there is equal importance? Jesus says, these are the most important commands, at least in answer to the Pharisees’ lawyer. When asked, what is the greatest commandment? He doesn’t stop and love God with all of your being. He says the second is like it, and in fact, the second that is like it is what hangs in the balance of all the law and the prophets. It is what is behind that. So the question is raised, how is this commandment like loving God?

2. Who Is Involved? We Are All Responsible

How is it like loving God with all of our being? The answer is very simple. If we simply love God, we will love others. If we have a true discipleship, we have a calling that is to be for other people, to live for others, to be existing for God, which is to take care of those who are his. And so the question is, who all is involved in this process? If this is so crucial to our Christianity, if this is so important to our daily life, who is involved? Who is called, and who are we called to help? Look with me in Matthew chapter 25. We get both answers here in Matthew chapter 25, beginning in verse 31. Remember, the question we’re examining is who is involved in this?

Matthew chapter 5, 25, excuse me, beginning in verse 31. When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, that he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on his left. Then the king will say to those who are on his right, Come, you are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. So, at this scene of judgment, we see there are two types of people involved. Those who are separated because of their righteousness and because of their adherence to the gospel of God?

And in verse 41, then he will say to those on his left, depart from me, you cursed into the eternal fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. And on his left, those who did not obey, those who will reap everlasting punishment. So I ask you, who is exempted from loving our neighbor? Who is involved? Well, as we see here, what separates them is their love for others. Look in verse 35. For I was hungry, this is to those who are righteous, and you gave me food. I was thirsty and you gave me drink. I was a stranger, and you welcomed me. I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick, and you visited me. I was in prison and you came to me. Then the righteous will answer him, saying, Lord, when did we see you hungry?

When did we see you a stranger? When did we see you sick or in prison and visit you? And the king will answer them Truly I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these of my brothers, you did it to me. What makes these people righteous, what separated them was their love of others, was the fact that they loved even the least of those who were their brethren. They loved all. They gave of themselves. What physical manifestation of blessings is not inherent in those verses. Food, clothing, time, shelter. It took everything. These people gave everything to everyone without even knowing that it was directly God. You see, that’s how we answer and we reconcile how is the second commandment, that is, loving your neighbor as yourself, is likened unto loving God with all of our heart, our mind, and our soul.

Because if we love God, we will take care of those who are his people. We will be good to his creation, and most importantly, those who have dominion over this world.

In verse 42, to those who are cursed. For I was hungry and you gave me no food. I was thirsty and you gave me no drink. I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked, and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me. Then they will answer saying, Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick in prison and did not minister to you. We are all responsible.

In these verses, you have a people who are facing the judgment. And they say, When did I miss it? These are good people. These are good neighbors, perhaps. They say, When didn’t we do it? When did we see you and not take care of you? Look at what Jesus says in verse 45. Truly I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me. So not only are we all responsible, as we can tell by that being a crux of this particular judgment scene. We are to be good, loving neighbors to all people. There is no loophole. And trust me, people have tried. Look in Luke chapter 10. Turn over to Luke chapter 10.

We’re turning to the parable of the Good Samaritan. We’re not going to read all of it, but we’re going to read the lawyer’s part in this story. In Luke chapter 10. Beginning in verse 25. It says, And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? And he said to him, What is written in the law? How do you read it? And he answered, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself. And he said to him, You have answered correctly. Do this and you will live. What’s fascinating is this lawyer knew what was right.

He gave the exact answer. He even included the second commandment. He knew Christ’s teachings. Of course, he was trained in the art of the law. But he doesn’t just say, Good, I understand I can go do it. Verse 29, but he desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, and who is my neighbor? Has that phrase ever struck you before? The phrase, but he desiring to justify himself. Does that line of thinking actually ever end up with a positive result? I know that when I was younger, I tried to justify my actions to my parents. I said I know because I don’t remember because I was blistered for it. I know that even with Kashka already, if I’m trying to be in a position where I have to justify myself, I’m in a losing proposition.

I have probably done wrong. And certainly it’s a fair assumption to say that’s what the lawyer was doing. He wanted to box in the teachings of Christ because he wanted to limit his responsibility. Because loving one another, as you love yourself is difficult. It’s certainly tedious, and it certainly is not what we as humans are programmed to think like and to behave like. The lawyer saddens me, though, because the lawyer had to justify himself to Christ. He was attempting to. On the day of judgment, the question I have to ask myself, and perhaps we should all ask our own individual selves, is what will I say at the day of judgment? Will I have to justify myself? Will I have to try to section off a portion of Christ’s teachings?

Or will Jesus say to me, When I was naked, you clothed me. When I was hungry, you fed me. I was thirsty, you gave me a drink. If we try to justify ourselves to the day of judgment, it’s too late. And God will not be mocked or outthought or tricked. God is just.

This man’s condition, a man who was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, fell among robbers who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. Not only did that priest and that Levite pass him, the Samaritan, the ones, the people with whom they had an intense rivalry, stopped and took care of all of his needs. In fact, he gave the innkeeper more money to take care of any need that he had come up with. Now let me ask you, was that convenient for the Samaritan? Let’s think about for one moment. What about the Samaritan’s schedule? Do you think he was busy? Do you think he was just walking along the road just in case someone had been beaten, stripped, and left for dead? No.

He had to stop. He had to give up his money. He had to give up his time. He had to give of what would otherwise be his own. That sacrifice. He loved a man who many people wouldn’t consider his technical neighbor, at least within the bounds of the law that they wanted to keep. But this Samaritan man took care of them. He showed us not only who is our neighbor, but how to be a good one. And so, before we move forward to how we can be good neighbors, we need to discuss why is this so important. Before we get to the how, what is the big deal? Why do we have to be good neighbors?

3. Why? It’s God’s Plan

First of all, that it’s God’s plan. Look at me in Acts chapter 2. It’s God’s plan, in fact, in two different ways. First of all, to take care of those who are his. Look in Acts chapter 2. Beginning in verse 43. And all came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all as any had need. You see, it was God’s design. It was God’s plan, his forethought that decided that we, as his people, would be able to take care of other people in this context who are his people, so that their needs would be met.

So why is it important to be a good neighbor? Because God designed it that way. Because if we want to follow God’s plan, we have to do our part. And it is with that understanding that we see this is God’s plan. I’m reminded, of course, that sometimes it isn’t just Christians who take care of Christians or even people of the world who take care of Christians. It can be both ways. I’m reminded of an elderly woman in particular who believed strongly in God, but she relied on social security for her income and often didn’t have enough money to eat if it came late. But one particular outing, the social security check was two weeks late. And the woman went without eating, and her atheist neighbor, who was a good man, came to her and he noticed she wouldn’t have food.

And he said, What will you do? She goes, The Lord will provide. And he says, You’re not going to get any food. You have to have the check. And she goes, The Lord will provide. So he says, You know what? This is my opportunity. He goes to the store, he said, I’m going to show her there is no God. And so he goes to the store and he buys a truckload of groceries and he drops them off at our front door and he rings the doorbell and runs away. The woman opens the door and says, Praise God, he provided for my needs again. And he jumped out and he said, No, I did that. God didn’t. And the woman looked at him and she said, Well, I do have to say, I knew the Lord would provide.

I just didn’t think he’d make Satan pay for it. God has his ways. We shouldn’t limit the power of God by saying, This is just going to happen, or that person will be taken care of. We make the difference. You never know who you are in God’s plan, where you are supposed to be. You may be going to a Bible study and find someone else that it’s God’s intention for you to help. Unless we know God’s mind, how can we decide that what I’m going to do is more important than this opportunity? You see, the Samaritan man got that. He saw an opportunity, he stopped and he did it. So why is it so important? Because God has intended it that way. And just going back to the story.

4. So the World Will Know

If God can use an atheist, if there can be good people who help us or teach us things, how much more responsibility is on those who are God’s children? How much more responsibility do we have if we claim to worship God to be his child? How much more so should we be looking, begging even for opportunities to serve? And that leads to the second facet of God’s plan. Look back at John chapter 13 and verse 35. What was the first line of verse 35? By this, all people will know that you are my disciples. Why? If you have love for one another. The second reason that this is God’s plan is so the world will know. I just noted that our expectations are higher. Is God’s plan not only that we take care of others, but by this people will know.

There’s a load of power behind those verses. Do you consider yourself a child of God? Do you consider yourself an active, participating member in the sacrifice in the blood of Jesus Christ, one who has been raised again and is acting differently? Putting on the new man? Would other people say that? What about it when you’re driving your car? Would people say, that’s a Christian? It’s a big struggle for me personally. Would people be able to tell that’s a Christian? And yes, I know we are in cover and people can barely tell who we are. But let me suggest God knows who you are. God knows what car you’re in, whether you have tinted windows and four doors or two doors with no windows. God knows. Will we drive and have people say that person was kind?

Or perhaps even not think of it? Or will we drive and people say, That person is rude? That person cut me off. That person is showing anger. You see, when we act, we represent God. And God says specifically in John chapter 13 and verse 35, by this all will know that you are my disciples. So loving our neighbor is so important. Do people in line at store? Do they see you being patient? Do they see you waiting your turn? Because you know people are watching. I reminded of a Walmart example where a famous preacher went through a line and this cashier gave him five extra dollars. He realized that as he went to his car and he came back and gave it back to her. And he says, Do you know that uh you gave me five extra dollars?

Here it is. And she goes, Well, I’m just glad you did that. He said, What do you mean? She said, Well, I know who you are. I just wanted to see if you would give it back.

5. Because God First Loved Us

What if he hadn’t? People expect Christians to be loving. Is that unfair? No. Christ tells us it should be that way. In fact, not only is it, it should be. It’s God’s plan. And so that’s why all this is so important. So the world will know. But there’s another, perhaps most important reason that we should love our neighbor. That’s because God first loved us. Look in 1 John chapter 4. In 1 John chapter 4. Beginning in verse 7, beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God. And whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us that God sent his only son into the world so that we might live through him.

In this love, not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we so also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God. If we love one another, God abides in us, and his love is perfected in us. Look now, verse 17. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is, so also are we in this world. There’s no fear in love, but perfect love cast out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because he first loved us. Verse 19 cannot be more clear as to why we should love others.

But even more so than that. In verse 10 and 11, we have a practical application of God’s love. That he sent Jesus to die for us. Just about 15 minutes ago, 10, 15 minutes. We took of the Lord’s Supper. We remembered Christ’s sacrifice. God loved us so much. He sent his only Son to die for us. Do we realize that? Do we often let our minds wrap around the concept that God, through no force, that Christ, through no force outside of choosing to submit his will to God, came and died for us. God loved us so much, he was willing to give his son, and we question giving our time. God loved us so much that Jesus was crucified. He had nails driven through his hands, and it was painful.

And we think it’s painful to not be able to sit on the couch as much as we would want to. Or that we might have to scrape by financially for the month.

If you ever doubt why this is so important, or you ever doubt anything about your discipleship, recognize God loves you. God loved first. We’re just reciprocating. In fact, we can’t even love nearly as well or as perfect as he does. We are perfected in love. But we have to strive our best to be like God in that sense. But go back to John chapter 13 and verse 34. I said we’d come back to this concept. In John chapter 13 and verse 34, Christ says, A new commandment I give to you that you love one another. How? Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. Now that’s power. We think sacrificial love, that’s important. Absolutely. Being kind is important. Absolutely. Loving as we love ourselves.

Great. Loving as Christ loved us. Whoa. Can we imagine doing anything with the love of Christ? Have we ever been asked to do anything even close to what Christ did? Some of the apostles were martyred for their belief. Are we willing to give of our time? Our money. Our convenience. Christ gave himself. If we are to love like Christ did, which is our commandment, that is the second commandment, it is likened unto loving God with all of our mind, all of our heart, and all of our soul, then we will do that no question. Loving our neighbors becomes an essential staple of our lives. And it’s no longer difficult because Christ showed it can be done, and we’re not going to be asked to do anything close to what Christ had to do, leaving the throne next to heaven, next to God in heaven.

6. How Can We Be a Good Neighbor? Love Your Enemies

Coming and being crucified. We may die for Christ, but it still won’t compare to what he did for us. And so we need to look at this morning. How can we be a good neighbor? Help you look with me at one final verse in Luke chapter 6. Luke chapter 6, beginning in verse 23. Excuse me, verse 26. In verse 27 of Luke chapter 6, he says, But I say to you who hear, love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who abuse you. To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also. And from the one who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either. Give to everyone who begs from you, and from the one who takes away your goods, do not demand them back.

And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them. If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners, do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners to get back the same amount. But love your enemies and do good and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great. And you will be sons of the most high, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Be merciful, even as your father is merciful.

Perhaps the first way to be a good neighbor, as we can see from that passage, is to love our enemies. The passage makes clear that people are good to each other. Sinners are good to sinners. People who are good to me, I’m going to be good to them. That’s a no-brainer. We like them. We love them. We want to take care of them. But loving our enemies is difficult. So that’s the biggest step, and the first most elemental step in loving others is to focus on loving all. Because if we can love people over here, we can certainly cover the gap. You see, Jesus teaches this because it sets us with the understanding of anyone should be helped. That guy who cuts you off in traffic, you should be willing to help him.

Frankly, we should be willing to let him in to traffic, which might be the greatest sacrifice. Maybe we need to love someone who’s rude. Or maybe even you need to love someone who is spending their lifetime trying to step on your toes and to bother you. There may be people like that. And if there is, you know what Jesus says about that? But I say to you who hear, love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. But how? How do I love that person? Look at verse 29. To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also. And from one who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either. Give to everyone who begs from you, and from the one who takes away your goods, do not demand them back.

The answer from Christ is let them. Let them be rude. You be a Christian. You submit to Christ. You love them as Christ loved you. It’s simple when we boil it down like that. It’s sacrifice. In Luke chapter 9 and verse 23. Jesus says to take up your cross daily and to follow after me. He makes that whole point in Luke chapter 9 and verse 23 through 26 that it is putting his way first, making our life a pattern after him. Sacrificing. Just give it up. Jesus says, if you get struck, take another blow. If someone takes something from you, let them have it. It’s simple. We just have to have the discipline to let it happen. And of course, being sacrificial is not easy, and it’s very difficult.

But it’s perhaps the most important facet in how to love your neighbors. So when we examine the question, are you a loving neighbor? Have you sacrificed? Christ sacrificed. We’re to love others as Christ loved us. It’s that simple. One final point this morning is the most commonly understood. And we get this from Luke chapter 6 and verse 31. And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them. You know, that’s the easiest thing for us to do. Love others is. Treat others the way we want to be treated, as it’s most commonly referred to. But do we do it? This makes sense. It practically follows because God’s plan is perfect. But can we do it? Let me close by just giving two examples of what does being a loving neighbor look like?

Conclusion

Maybe it looks something like the mother who has three children from ages zero to four. And they’re screaming and crying all day long. And she takes care of them anyway. She takes care of the house. In fact, when they take their nap, which they all came together luckily one time for 30 minutes, the mother cleans the house so that her husband can have a Bible study in a clean environment. Maybe it looks like a father who works 12 hours a day outside in the blazing Florida sun, and he comes home and he has a family. And instead of sitting on the couch, he goes and he plays with his kids until they go to bed. He’s loving with his wife, and he takes any extra second in between, and he thinks, what can I do for other people?

Perhaps maybe he even bonds with his children by taking them as loud and screaming as they are, kicking and screaming to an elderly woman’s house to be with her and her needs. Sacrifice is real. Sacrifice is asked of us by Christ. The only question that remains to each and every one of us is are we the neighbor Christ expects us to be? If you’re not, we have this day to change. God has given us this blessing, the second, perhaps most important, besides Christ dying for us, he gave us a chance to obey him. If you are baptized, you can have your sins washed away. If you come forward right now, make your life of Christ as we stand and sing.