Introduction:

As I looked through the Old Testament I found the following ten statements that related to the way people are to treat their neighbors. I call them:

The Ten Commandments for Loving your

Neighbor from the Old Testament

1. Do not _______ your neighbor – Exodus 2:13

2. Do not _______ what your neighbor has – Ex. 20:17

3. Do not show __________ between neighbors – Lev. 19:15

4. Do not hold on to the ________ your neighbor has done – Lev. 19:18

5. Do not cause _________ to your neighbor, you will receive the same – Lev. 24:19

6. Do not keep what _________ to your neighbor, nor try and sell it back to him – Deut. 22:3

7. Do not bear _______ witness against your neighbor – Deut. 5:20, Prov. 25:18

8. Do not allow others to ______ bad about a neighbor – Psalm 101:5

9. Do not withhold _______ from your neighbor - Prov. 3:28

10. Do not get your neighbor ______ to look upon his nakedness – Hab. 2:15

What does the New Testament teach us about how we are to love our neighbor?

I. Why are we to _________ our Neighbors?

A. Because of what we have ______ – Matthew 5:43, Leviticus 19:18

“You have heard that it was said, “You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.”

B. Because of what we have ______ – Matthew 22:37-39, Mark 12:29-31

Matthew 22:37-39 - 37 Jesus said to him, "'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' 
38 This is the first and great commandment. 
39 And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' 
40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."

Romans 13:8 – Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law

II. Who are our _________? – Luke 10:25-37

In Word Studies in the New Testament the word, Neighbor (τὸν πλησίον) literally means:

Luke 10:25-37 - 25  And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" 26  He said to him, "What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?" 27  So he answered and said, "'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,' and 'your neighbor as yourself.' " 28  And He said to him, "You have answered rightly; do this and you will live." 29  But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" 30  Then Jesus answered and said: "A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. 33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. 34 So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, 'Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.' 36 So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?" 37 And he said, "He who showed mercy on him." Then Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."

III. How are we to ______ our neighbors?

I want to point out four _________ and biblical ways in which we can love our neighbors.

A. By plain ________ to God’s Commandments – Romans 13:9


 9 For the commandments, "You shall not commit adultery," "You shall not murder," "You shall not steal," "You shall not bear false witness," "You shall not covet," and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." 


B. By not doing any _____ to our neighbors – Romans 13:10

Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

The Greek word for “harm” in Romans 13:10 is kakos, and it means ____, evil, ill, or miserable. Other translations render it like this:

C. By seeking to _______ your neighbor – Romans 15:2

“Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to edification.”

D. By speaking the ______ to your neighbor – Eph. 4:25

“Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth which his neighbor, for we are members of one another.”

II Timothy 3 list some 19 ungodly behaviors:

We must CARE for our neighbors. Write down that word. I want to give you the following acronym:

C – _________ to our neighbors

A – _________ to our neighbors

R – _________ for our neighbors

E – _________ to our neighbors

President Theodore Roosevelt wrote, “People don't _____ how much you know until they know how much you _______”

Conclusion:

1