The Commands of Christ – Part 11:
Bring in the poor, render to Caesar, love the Lord and love your neighbor
HOFC - Pastor Bruce A. Shields
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SERMON INTRODUCTION
Matthew 28:18-20
18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
SERMON SERIES
Part 12 – Await my return, take communion, be born again and keep my commands
Part 13 – Watch and pray, feed my sheep, baptize my disciples
Part 14 – Receive God’s power and make disciples
TODAY’S SERMON
Bring in the poor, render to Caesar, love the Lord and love your neighbor
SCRIPTURE READING
Jesus is giving this command, to Preach, Baptize and then Teach, to everyone who is a follower of Christ Jesus. He spoke this to the disciples then, and today to His disciples, who are Followers of Christ Jesus.
I. BRING IN THE POOR
a. Be a blessing to those who cannot repay your kindness
i. “Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. 13 But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” – Luke 14:12-14
b. The ministry of kindness
i. Is it really kindness when you know you will receive something back?
1. “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” – Matthew 6:1-4
ii. When we help someone in need
1. It’s not because they can pay us back, it’s because they are in need
2. It’s not to control them and what they do, it’s because they are in need
3. It’s not because others will see, it’s because they are in need
iii. We give to those in need because
1. We are commanded to help those in need
2. This, putting other’s needs before our own is LOVE
3. That’s it…
iv. YES there are blessings and benefits that come, but that’s NOT why we do it!
1. you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous
2. your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you
3. you are building treasures in heaven, and where your treasures are, your heart will be also
c. Building your riches in heaven
i. This is our goal
ii. Everything will pass away, but God’s word will remain, and our souls (who we are)
iii. There will be a new heaven, new earth, new Jerusalem, and we will receive our crowns, and rewards for our services here on earth.
iv. EVERYTHING ELSE IS GONE!
v. So everything you try to build, keep, collect, store up, it will be destroyed.
vi. God developed this plan so that those who are obedient will have treasures awaiting them in heaven.
II. RENDER TO CAESAR
a. Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s
i. “Then he said to them, “So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” – Matthew 22:21
b. Give “back” to Caesar what is his
i. Key word in this verse, BACK
ii. Caesar’s face is on the coin, because it came from him, and belongs to him…taxes give a portion of what Caesar gave you back.
iii. Jesus said, not only do you pay your government tax…but you pay God’s as well.
iv. Give BACK to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and back to God what belongs to God.
c. What do we have that belongs to God?
i. Everything we have been blessed with in this live, our health, wealth, intelligence, natural abilities, everything
ii. So we give back to God through tithes, love offerings, gifts and alms
1. Tithes are required of God to show obedience
2. Love offerings are where you give from your abundance
3. Gifts are because you want to bless someone for any reason
4. Alms are to the poor
iii. Your finances
1. So we give back some of our finances to God, because it belongs to Him!
iv. Your belongings
1. He blessed you with all you have, so we give back a portion
v. Your time
1. Your days were accounted for before you were born, He gave you those days, give back a portion of them
vi. Spiritual Gifts
1. All come from God’s Holy Spirit…give back!
2. “A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return. 13 So he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas. ‘Put this money to work,’ he said, ‘until I come back.’
14 “But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, ‘We don’t want this man to be our king.’
15 “He was made king, however, and returned home. Then he sent for the servants to whom he had given the money, in order to find out what they had gained with it.
16 “The first one came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned ten more.’
17 “‘Well done, my good servant!’ his master replied. ‘Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.’
18 “The second came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned five more.’
19 “His master answered, ‘You take charge of five cities.’
20 “Then another servant came and said, ‘Sir, here is your mina; I have kept it laid away in a piece of cloth. 21 I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You take out what you did not put in and reap what you did not sow.’
22 “His master replied, ‘I will judge you by your own words, you wicked servant! You knew, did you, that I am a hard man, taking out what I did not put in, and reaping what I did not sow? 23 Why then didn’t you put my money on deposit, so that when I came back, I could have collected it with interest?’
24 “Then he said to those standing by, ‘Take his mina away from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.’
25 “‘Sir,’ they said, ‘he already has ten!’
26 “He replied, ‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what they have will be taken away. 27 But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them—bring them here and kill them in front of me.’” – Luke 19:12-27
III. LOVE THE LORD
a. This is the first commandment
i. “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment.” – Matthew 22:36-38
b. What is love?
i. I Corinthians 13:4-8 “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails.”
ii. In ANY and ALL situations, if you;
1. Are not patient
2. Are not kind
3. If you envy
4. If you boast or brag
5. If you are prideful
6. If you dishonor, shame or discredit
7. If you were selfish or self-centered
8. If you were easily angered
9. Kept a list of what someone did to you
10. Were happy when “they got theirs” (delighting in evil)
11. Did not rejoice if the Truth showed you were the one who was wrong
12. Didn’t protect
13. Didn’t trust
14. Was not optimistic
15. Gave up
iii. If you were any of these in any situation, then you were NOT being loving.
c. What it means to love with;
i. All your heart = emotional, intellectual & moral activates
ii. All your soul = (who you ARE) meaning Salvation through Christ
iii. All your mind = Renew your thinking, to think like Christ
iv. This is the FIRST and GREATEST commandment
IV. LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR
a. And the second command is like it (equal to it)
i. “And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” – Matthew 22:39-40
b. All of the Law and Prophets teachings are summed up in these two commands
i. No other gods before Me
ii. No idols, no prayers to them, do not serve them
iii. Do not take God’s name in vain
iv. Keep the Sabbath holy
v. Honor your mother and father
vi. You shall not murder
vii. You shall not commit adultery
viii. You shall not steal
ix. You shall not lie
x. You shall not desire what your neighbor has (not his wife, his servants, his ox, his donkey, nothing that is his)
c. Love answers all these demands
i. When you LOVE God with your emotional, intellectual and moral activates, receive Salvation through Christ Jesus, change your thinking to think like Christ, love your neighbor (as described in I Corinthians 13), and love yourself! You will be obediently living for God through Christ Jesus!
CONCLUSION
Matthew 28:18-20
18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Jesus promises His us, while we are obeying His commands to preach, baptize and teaching others to obey His commands, He will be with us to the end of this age!
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