This & That

Rom 13:9-11
9 For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
11 And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.
12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.
13 Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.
14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.

We find in this scripture the sum of the Laws that regulate us in Christian living towards our neighbors… This text is one scriptural attempt at summarizing what our thought, actions, and behavior should be towards those around us…

There are people whose lives we come in contact with everyday and we must never forget that God has a plan for those lives… He has not put you in contact with them reasonless. We sometimes operate in a sort of bubble insulated against any "outside" personnel, attempting to associate the least with the very people that we are around the most… Have you ever considered that many times you are spending more time with the people you work with then your own family!

Paul admonishes us in these practices concerning our neighbors… Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet… I think most people in our lives would appreciate these practices. Wouldn’t you agree?

I like how he puts the next phrase… If there be any other commandment, any other rules I’ve left out, any mandates I’ve overlooked … as if some of you probably need me to spell it out… just in case I forgot some wrong that you could do to your neighbor… it is briefly and summarily addressed in this statement: You should love your neighbor like you love yourself!

What a concept? If you love your neighbor like you love yourself there is no wrong that you could do that you won’t resist… Every bad thought, every wrong deed, every evil consideration or intention would be preceded with this thought - “I can’t do that because it would hurt me…” If this one commandment in scripture could be fulfilled it would prevent all fraud, injustice, oppression, and hate…

This same phrase is found in Moses' humanitarian laws in Leviticus 19:18 and in the very words of Jesus Christ himself in Matthew 19:19… reminiscent of the Golden Rule – Do unto others as you would have them do unto you…

Verse 10 - Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. Love has no agenda of hate. Love doesn’t conspire against, love does not plot… love does not imagine treachery… so love fulfills the law… Love is how you cover all those things the law can’t cover… love fills the gaps and the holes when the law is stretched thin. Our modern society has proven in the court of law that sometimes the law leaves room for injustice... Murderers have spent less time in prison that individuals who've broken the current "PC" environmental rules... You could sell crack on a street corner and face less punishment than capturing or killing an "endangered" spotted owl... In life, LOVE for one another is how we cover the holes left in the law...

Why do we love our neighbor? Why are we admonished in scripture to have a behavior towards them that would honor God? The answer is in verse 11… knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.

We need to be mindful of the time! The signs of the end time are all around us! Every prophecy written in scripture concerning the return of Jesus Christ has already been fulfilled!

Jesus is coming back! We need to be ready!

The Lord is sending us a very strong message in this scripture… don’t forget your neighbors! Love them! Respect them! Treat them with care and dignity! Because I want them to be saved! If you love your neighbors like you love yourself then you won’t be able to let them be lost! You won’t go to bed at night without praying for them! The church has been sleeping on its responsibility too long… (That might be too general… you’ve been asleep too long- I’ve been asleep too long!) Wake up out of your sleep and realize that the day is at hand! The night is almost over… the day is at hand… cast off those works of the night and get serious!

A very curious point here in the scripture… In verse 9 the scripture says “FOR THIS” and in verse 11 it begins “AND THAT” The meaning may be thus expressed: All the requirements of the Law toward our neighbor may be met by two things: one is by love; the other is by remembering that we are near to eternity; keeping a deep sense of the "this" truth before the mind, tempered by the “That” truth.

THIS – Love and respect you neighbors
THAT- Jesus is coming back- Know the time…