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One of the scribes came and heard them (the other scribes and Pharisees and Sadducees) arguing (with Jesus), and recognizing that He (Jesus) had answered them well, asked Him, “What commandment is the foremost of all?”//Jesus answered, “The foremost is, ‘HEAR, O ISRAEL! THE LORD OUR GOD IS ONE LORD…’”
“‘AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.’”
“The second is this, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.
“These things I (the Lord Jesus Christ) have spoken to you, so that in (union with) Me, you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”
After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.
For our citizenship is in heaven…
Do all things without grumbling or disputing;//so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world…
TODAY’S STUDY
Unconditional Love is Commanded and Illustrated in the Word of God
But now faith, hope, love, abide (in the sphere of) these three; but the greatest of these is (unconditional) love.
Beloved, let us love one another (unconditionally), for (unconditional) love is from (the source of) God; and everyone who loves (unconditionally) is born (again) of God and knows God.//The one who does not love (unconditionally) does not know God, for God is (unconditional) love.
By this the (unconditional) love of God was manifested (made clearly visible) in us, that God has sent His only begotten (uniquely born) Son into the world so that we might live (the Zoe Life) through (our union with) Him.
In this is love, not that we loved God (unconditionally), but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.//Beloved, if (1) God so loved us (unconditionally, and He did), we also ought to love one another (unconditionally).
(Unconditional) Love is patient, (unconditional) love is kind and is not jealous; (unconditional) love does not brag and is not arrogant,//does not act unbecomingly; it (unconditional love) does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered…
…(unconditional love) does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;//(unconditional love) bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
(Unconditional) Love never fails…
BREAK
Isn’t He
When I Think About Home
And a lawyer stood up and put Him (the Lord Jesus Christ) to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
And He (the Lord Jesus Christ) said to him (the lawyer), “What is written in the (Mosaic) Law? How does it read to you?”
And he (the lawyer correctly) answered (from Old Testament Scripture), “YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD (unconditionally) WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND (Deuteronomy 6:5); AND (you shall love) YOUR NEIGHBOR (unconditionally) AS (you love yourself) YOURSELF (unconditionally…Leviticus 19:18).”
And He (the Lord Jesus Christ) said to him (the lawyer), “You have answered correctly; DO THIS AND YOU WILL LIVE.”
But wishing to justify himself (because he was not living theses commands perfectly), he (the lawyer) said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
Jesus replied and said, “A (Jewish) man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among robbers, and they stripped him and beat him, and went away leaving him half dead.”
“And by chance a (Jewish Levitical) priest was going down on that road, and when he (the priest) saw him (the wounded man), he (the priest) passed by on the other side.”
“Likewise a Levite (a Jew and a priest’s assistant) also, when he came to the place and saw him (the wounded man), passed by on the other side.”
“But a Samaritan (an enemy of Jews), who was on a journey, came upon him (the wounded man); and when he (the Samaritan) saw him (the wounded man), he felt compassion…
…and (the Samaritan) came to him (the wounded man) and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them; and he (the Samaritan) put him (the wounded man) on his own beast, and brought him (the wounded man) to an inn and took care of him.
“On the next day he (the Samaritan) took out two denarii (two days wage) and gave them to the innkeeper and said, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I return I will repay you.’”
“Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers’ hands?”
And he (the lawyer) said, “The one who showed mercy toward him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do the same.”
“But I (the Lord Jesus Christ) say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you//and bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.”
“Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also; and whoever takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt from him either.//Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back.”
“Treat others the same way you want them to treat you.//If (1) you love those who love you (and of course you do), what credit is that to you? For even sinners (unbelievers) love those who love them.”
“If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.//If you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners in order to receive 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 Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men.//
Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,//gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
CLOSING SONG
How Great thou Art
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