"LOVE THE LORD...LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR.."

                                            Matthew 22:  36-40

       
    When asked by one of the lawyers,  "Teacher, which is the great 
commandment in the law?" Jesus said to him, "You shall love the 
Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all 
your mind. This is the first and great commandment.  
And the second is like unto it: You shall love your neighbor as your-
self.   On these  two commandments  hang all the Law and  the Pro-
phets."  (NKJV) 

    Although these two  commandments  are  found in Leviticus and in 
Deuteronomy,  they  are  reiterated in  Matthew 22: 36-40  by Jesus 
Christ  and are elevated beyond the Ten Commandments as found in 
Exodus.  When you look at  the Ten,  it is interesting that they are in 
order of  God first and fellowman or  neighbor second,  just as  is the 
Great  Commandment.  It might  be said,  the Great  Commandment 
summarizes and  explains the  Ten Commandments.   In  making the 
Law of  God  about Love of God and  love of  neighbor,  it is brought 
home in a personal way.  We find in ourselves or in the flesh,  we are 
unable to  fulfill or  carry  it out.  As we  determine this,  there is one 
course of action for the Child of God;  love God,  whom we have not 
seen, by an act of faith.  Hebrews 11: 1-3:

   "Now faith is the substance of things hoped  for, the evidence of 
    things not seen.   For by it the elders obtained a good testimony:  
    By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word 
    of  God so that the things which are seen were not made of things 
    which are visible."

At this point it is important to point out  that "faith" alone cannot save
us and  we  have no confidence  in "our" faith.  It is the  Grace of  our
Lord Jesus Christ. Our faith is the catalyst, His is the power. Hebrews 
10: 38,  "Now the just shall  live by faith..."  Faith  in our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ;  his life, death, resurrection, ascension and intercession on our
behalf at the right hand of God the Father.   

        Next we have the problem of loving our neighbor, or persons with 
whom we have a relationship based strictly on those five senses.  It is 
beyond our ability to love our neighbor through the effort of  the flesh, 
but for  another reason.  Since  we experience our  fellowman through 
our  senses,  the difficulty arises  when we discover him to be without  
qualities that will cause one to love him. Just like ourselves, our neigh-
bor  has faults,  character and personality flaws,  making it difficult to 
relate to him with love.  Loving by faith is the only way to love anyone
with the unconditional love of God.  
            (It had never occurred to me in that way before.) 

   Getting back to the issue of loving God; from where does the faith to 
love Him originate?  It certainly does not begin within you or me.  The
Scripture says, "Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of 
God."  (Romans 10: 17)  Therefore, if we are to obey this Great Com-
mandment, we must become people of "The Book."  If we are to love 
our neighbor, as unlovable as he may be, we must become a people of 
"The Book."  In the Bible we find all the information (tools) we need 
to understand what love is,  it's origin,  and just what  love can do.  It 
can change a vile and sinful person into a loving follower of our Lord 
Jesus Christ,  giving our  neighbor the potential to become more like
Christ, loving and lovable, as he matures througn Sanctification.  
          (Growing into the likeness of our Lord Jesus Christ)

       In 1 Thessalonians 4: 3 we find, "For this is the will of God, your 
         sanctification, that you should abstain from sexual immorality" 
Read verses 1-9.  Since our sanctification is the will of God, we can 
expect it to happen as we exercise faith in God and his Word. This 
process is not automatic since you and I must cooperate with Him in 
this.  (Seek Him)  
      Is it possible for one to make sanctification an extended process 
causing  painfully slow  Spiritual  growth  and  unnecessary  delay in 
maturity. This will be costly to  the believer.  Faithfully studying  the 
Word of God, close fellowship and accountability to others, through 
the local church is essential for well rounded, timely growth.   

      Two things mentioned in the passage, vs.3, sexual immorality and 
in vs. 9, love of others.  The complete chapter deals with the lifestyle 
of one who is  being sanctified.  The chapter closes with  prophecy of 
the "catching away" of  the saints. vs. 13 thru 18.  It is incumbent on 
each of us to be prepared for the "rapture" of the Church as it has to 
do  with  fellowship  here  and  reward  when  we  appear  before  the 
"Bema," or  judgment seat of Christ.  (The word, "Bema," is a plat-
form or step from which our Lord will judge His Church.   The word 
"rapture" is an optional translation of the "catching away" of belie-
vers, and is used in many evangelical circles.

"But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, 
concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow
not, even as others which have no hope.  For if we
believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them
also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.  
For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, 
that we which are alive and remain unto the coming
 of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep."

"For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven 
with a shout and with the voice of the archangel. 
and with the trump of God: And we which are alive
 and remain shall be caught up together with them 
in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so
 shall we ever be with the Lord."

"Wherefore, comfort one another with these words."  
kjv          1 Thessalonians 4: 13-18  

                                        donporter,sr 2.09.13, edited 2.17.15, 2.7.17