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Obligations Toward Others

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Mt. 22:34-40

• [34] But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together.• [35] Then one of them, which was a

lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,

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• [36] Master, which is the great commandment in the law?• [37] 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.

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• [38] This is the first and great commandment.• [39] And the second is like unto it,

Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.• [40] On these two commandments

hang all the law and the prophets.

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Two areas of duty

• 1. To God• 2. To other people• The one who loves God will want to

do what God wants him to do• The one who loves his neighbor will

treat his neighbor the way God would have him treat him

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• What are some of those things that I should do toward others – and this would include by brethren

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•I. Love

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1 Cor. 13:1-3

• 1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.

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• 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.

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• 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.

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• Love is to be the motive behind all that we do as Christians • Worship• Work• Teaching• Benevolence

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• The outward service is love being expressed• Neither love or outward service is

acceptable without the other

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Jn. 14:15

• [15] If ye love me, keep my commandments.

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1 Cor. 13:4-8

• 4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; • 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek

its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; • 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but

rejoices in the truth;

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• 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.• 8 Love never fails. But whether there

are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.

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1 Cor. 13:13

• [13] And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

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•II. Helpfulness

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• A second obligation we have toward others is to be helpful

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James 2:14-17

• [14] What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?• [15] If a brother or sister be naked,

and destitute of daily food,

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• [16] 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?• [17] Even so faith, if it hath not

works, is dead, being alone.

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• In Mt. 25 Jesus emphasized doing good• In the parable of the Good

Samaritan he taught us to be helpful to those in need

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James 1:27

• [27] Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

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Gal. 6:2, 10

• [2] Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.• [10] As we have therefore

opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

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• As sure as we have the obligation to worship, we have the obligation to others to be helpful

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•III. Consideration

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• A third obligation we have is that of counting others better than ourselves• Admittedly, for all of us, being too

often self-centered, this becomes a difficult task

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Phil. 2:1-8

• 1 Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy,• 2 fulfill my joy by being like-minded,

having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.

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• 3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.• 4 Let each of you look out not only

for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.

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• 5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, • 6 who, being in the form of God,

did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,

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• 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. • 8 And being found in appearance as

a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

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• We are to be concerned for others• There is Christlikeness in putting

others before self• This requires denial of self,

humility, and unselfishness

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3 Jn. 9-10

• 9 I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to have the preeminence among them, does not receive us.

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• 10 Therefore, if I come, I will call to mind his deeds which he does, prating against us with malicious words. And not content with that, he himself does not receive the brethren, and forbids those who wish to, putting them out of the church.

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• Diotrephes exalted himself • Look at Christ who humbled

himself and died for all mankind

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•IV. Forgiving

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Mt. 18:21-22

• [21] Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?• [22] Jesus saith unto him, I say not

unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.

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• How can we expect to be forgiven if we are unforgiving?

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Mt. 6:14-15

• [14] For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:• [15] But if ye forgive not men

their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

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Col. 3:13

• [13] Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.

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•V. Encouraging

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• We also have the obligation to encourage each other

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Col. 3:16

• [16] Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.• (admonition = a means of

encouragement)

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Heb. 10:25

• [25] Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting (encouraging ESV) one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching

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• Let us make sure we speak words of exhortation, admonition and encouragement to others!

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• Love• Helpfulness• Consideration• Forgiving• Encouraging